The Right Partner
by ChelleNessa13
Summary: After being gone for so many years and having lost Peggy, Steve never thought that he would find a new dance partner. Especially not the mysterious Black Widow.
1. Chapter 1

The Avengers sat around their kitchen table, sitting silently as they always did when one of them was off on a mission. This time it was Natasha, she was set to arrive almost a week ago and she was still nowhere to be seen. Captain America sat with his face in his hands, Tony drank his coffee and stared at the wall, Bruce watched the door, Clint stared at the clock and Thor looked out the window of the avengers tower.

"where is she again? Why did they send her alone?" Tony looked around for someone to answer his question but it seemed like forever before he got an answer from anyone. Clint did bother looking away from the clock as he answered.

"Russia, she has to take down one of the heads of Red Room. They figured since she knows how they work, she would be able to finish the job quickly. It was a bad idea, she may come back fine physically, but not mentally or emotionally"

They sat in silence for several hours until they heard the ding of the elevators. Natasha limped into the room, they silently watched as she dragged herself towards the couch for a few seconds until they all jumped into action. Bruce went to get his first aid kit as they rest of the avengers moved to surround Natasha. It was clear that she was much thinner than the last time they saw her and had dried blood all over her face. Clint went to get her a change of clothes and was back almost immediately followed by Bruce. They averted their eyes as she changed into a sports bra and small black shorts. She laid on the couch and they were horrified at what they saw. Bruises and cuts covered her small frame, her ribs were way to visible to be healthy, but the worst thing was the look of pain and torment in her eyes. Bruce set off to work, cleaning all the cuts and stitched up the cuts that needed to be stitched, including the large gash on her temple. They sat around her the moon was clearly visible, hours had passed until she finally spoke.

"There was a girl, pale skin, bright red hair, scared eyes. Couldn't have been more than 13, she screamed out for my help. I tried, I swear I tried so hard. I did all I could….I tried"

No one had ever seen the black widow this way, she was amazing at hiding her emotions. Tears flowed down her pale face. Steve was the first one to react. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. He was expecting her to recoil but she simply snuggled further into him and continued to cry, her crying soon turned into sobbing and she clutched captain America even harder. No one moved until she had finally fallen asleep. When they were sure that she was completely asleep everyone but Steve moved to get more comfortable. Steve was sitting in an extremely uncomfortable spot but he refused to move in order to allow Natasha to sleep. It was nearly noon when Natasha began to stir and opened her eyes to find that the living room was still of superheroes. Tony, Clint and Thor were watching cartoons although the volume was nearly non existant, presumably to not wake Natasha. Bruce was reading on the love seat. She wondered where Steve was until she turned around and realized Steve was her mattress, then she realized she was covered in one of Steve's blankets. She sat up and Steve looked down at her with worried eyes. She gave him somewhat of a smile.

"morning ma'am"

"Steve, how many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to call me ma'am, were past that, you call me whatever you would like"

"alright Miss Natasha"- she rolled her eyes and smiled. "did you sleep well?"

"I did, I had a great pillow. Thanks for everything Steve, thanks to all of you for being so…caring"

They all looked at her with kind eyes as Bruce spoke.

"Of course Nat, you're part of our big messed up party. Now how about I take a look at those cuts and bruises"

He gave her a soft smile and Natasha dropped the blanket she was clutching around her shoulders to reveal that most of her injuries had already healed. Everyone but Clint walked towards her with confusion filling the room. Natasha took in their questioning eyes and sat down to explain.

"while I was a part of the Red Room facility in the Black Widow Program I received a variant of the super soldier serum that Steve here was injected with, well it has allowed me to heal above human rate"

Steve looked at her with wide eyes.

"I didn't know you…what other effects do you have."

Everyone else realized that they were being tuned out so they went back to what they were doing but continued to listen to Natasha.

"Well very similar to you Steve my physical and mental abilities are enhanced, I believe I cant get sick, im immune to almost anything, if not everything and its extremely difficult for me to get drunk, luckily it is possible. I can't age either. There might be other effects but I ran away before I could find out all about them… Tony turn it up, I can barely hear a thing"

"Got it red, want some breakfast?"

"Breakfast would be lovely Tony"

"Alright, Stars and Stripes, go make some food"

Steve and Natasha both rolled their eyes and stood, Natasha followed Steve towards the kitchen and stumbled, her leg was not completely healed yet. Steve wordlessly wrapped an arm around Natasha's waist to steady her. She smiled at him and allowed him to help her up on the counter as he began working on breakfast. In the living room, all but Thor watched as Natasha actually allowed herself to be helped by Steve.

"Hey guys I think maybe we should move our 'family dinner' to another night, no one tell those two they seem to be getting along pretty nicely, plus ive never seen Tasha smile so much" Clint watched Natasha with a smirk on his face

"or at all"

Tony was then smacked over the head by the expert marksman and promptly fell off the couch.

"Man of Iron, are you alright my friend?"

"yeah, just fine Thor, robin hood over here is just being a bit of an ass"

Thor looked puzzled but Bruce just let out a loud chuckle. Steve called out to them to get to the table. Both Natasha and Steve were seated next to each other, both with their cheeks slightly flushed. Natasha had made several boxes of poptarts and set them down in front of Thor's plate. He flashed her a big smile and began to shove food into this mouth. Clint and Tony smirked at Steve and Natasha as they plowed through the food. Bruce questioned Natasha about how she was feeling between bites.

"And your leg?"

"It should be fine in a few hours, I guess I should probably take it easy for a little while. I guess not even the black widow is invinsible."

They continued to eat, Natasha noticed Clint and Tony smirking but decided to not do anything about, all she wanted was to go back to sleep. She heard Steve crack his back and groan.

"Oh no Steve, you must have slept so uncomfortably, im so sorry!"

"its alright Natasha, no worries"

She flashed him a sheepish smile and they all finished their breakfasts and went back to the living room where both Natasha and Steve fell asleep in no time. They all smiled as they noticed both Natasha and Steve move closer to each other in their sleep until Natashas head was on Steves shoulder and his arm was wrapped around her. The only thing that could be heard was the television and Clints soft whisper.

"who would've thought"


	2. Chapter 2

Steve and Natasha woke up at nearly the same time and realized that they were laying in an empty room, it was beginning to get dark out. The rest of the avengers were nowhere to be found. Steve stood up and had a small smile after realizing how he and Natasha were positioned. He found a note from Tony on the kitchen counter.

Anastasia & Capsicle,

Brucie and I have gone out together, don't expect us back till morning. Legolas went out with a busty blonde he spotted when we went out for drinks and Thor is probably making Jane sore. Fend for yourselves for dinner, or do something fun. We're really glad to have you back hun.

Love you very much – Papa Avenger

Steve snorted at the note and noticed Natasha reading of his shoulder.

"Guess we'll have to make some dinner."

"or not"

"Miss. Natasha you are skin and bones you need to eat"

"I know Steve, I meant maybe we could go out. To be honest I have not had fun in quite a while, ive been busy bringing up memories of my lovely red room days"

"out it is, where would you like to go ma'am"

"Steve! No ma'am! How about we get ready to go out and explore New York. To be honest I have not seen much of the city"

He smiled at her and nodded as they walked to their own rooms. Steve was back in the living room waiting for Natasha in his usual attire. Soon after Natasha walked out and met Steve with a small smile. She wore a tight fuzzy emerald sweater and jeans, she obviously opted for flats to aliviate the pain on her leg.

"Miss. Natasha you look absolutely stunning"

Natasha gave him a shy smile and a blush spread across her cheeks and she followed him out of the room, into the elevator and out the door. Steve offered her his arm and she graciously took it. They walked around new York for a little while until settling on a small Italian restaurant. Their waitress came and had to do a double look. She immidiately recognized Steve and soon noticed that Natasha was a part of the avengers as well. Both heroes ordered their meals and began to talk.

"I don't mean to intrude miss Natasha but are you and Clint not together?"

"Barton? No absolutely not! I mean im not saying that I wouldn't be with him cause I have been, but we have decided that its best if we stay partners and friends. For a long time he was my only friend so that's why were always together"

"you said that you have been with him?"

"…yeah, for a while we were together, but something happened and it all fell apart"

"you were together? Like….fondue?"

"fondue? Oh…OH, um yeah I guess."

"right? So um it all fell apart? But you guys seem to work very well together."

"as I said before he is my partner and my friend, however there was an incident-" she paused and looked down, the same look of torment crossed her eyes as the look she had when she first arrived from her mission, Steve was concerned but Natasha continued. "I thought I was pregnant, we both did. Clint was extatic"

"what happened?"

"I wasn't pregnant, actually I never can be. The super soldier serum that I was given has taken away my ability to have children, its one of the effects I failed to mention this morning"

"im so sorry Nat"

Natasha looked up and gave him a brilliant smile that took him by surprise.

"you called me Nat, not ma'am or miss Romanoff or miss Natasha"

Steve smiled at her as their food arrived.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile so much"

"to be quite honest I don't think I've ever smiled so much, there's something about you captain, I feel like its ok to let my guard down, I feel…safe"

Steve gave her a bright smile as they continued to eat their meal. When the check came Steve grabbed it before Natasha even had a chance.

"I thought I was the agile one captain"

Steve chuckled and paid the bill.

"you don't have to pay Steve"

"but I want to, its my duty to pay when im taking a beautiful girl out to dinner"

Natasha did her best to keep a straight face but failed miserably. She noticed that tables were being moved aside to make space for a dance floor.

"well the night is still young, care to dance captain?"

Steve's face was almost unreadable.

"I don't know how to dance"

"would you like me to teach you?"

"yeah… I would like that. You know this place looks familiar"

Natasha grabbed Steve's hand and pulled him onto the dance floor as she spoke.

"I believe there was a club here when you were last around"

Steve froze in place and looked down at Natasha, she barely reached past his shoulder.

"The Stork Club"

"that's the one, is something wrong Steve. We can leave if you would like"

"its just, I had a date here. I never made it, I was too busy being frozen. Peggy was going to…teach me to dance"

"im so sorry Steve, I understand if you want to leave"

Steve looked conflicted for a moment before answering.

"no, I think that Peggy would be happy that ive finally found a dance partner"

Natasha could sense that what he had just said had deeper meaning but was happy to dance along and try to get Steve to loosen up some. The next thing either of them knew, it was closing time. Natasha once again grabbed onto Steve's arm and began to follow him back home. Steve drapped his jacket across Natasha's shoulders and they continued to walk in comfortable silence. When they reached Stark tower Steve was pleased to see that Natasha did not let go of his arm. There was a buzzing noise heard coming from several floors up, when they reached their floor they realized Tony was intoxicated playing with the iron man suit. He had destroyed only one wall, Natasha's wall.

"TONY! Get up and off to bed, I swear I will have pepper here is mere seconds!"

That seemed to sober him up enough to get out of his suit and stumble to his room with the help of an amused captain America. When Steve came back he found Natasha sitting in the living room.

"aren't you going to inspect the damage?"

"I don't think going into my room is an option right now, theres a half asleep green giant in my room and id rather not startle him, I guess Stark got Bruce a tad drunk. Ill just sleep on the couch"

"nonsence Nat, youre still recovering, you can have my room, ill sleep out here"

"Steve, your back probably still hurts from sleeping the way you did to keep me comfortable"

"That's alright"

"No, why don't we share, I mean, we shared the couch right?"

Steve turned bright red.

"right, well if your okay with that"

Natasha followed Steve to his room, he walked into his bathroom and changed into sweat and a tshirt. He walked out to find Natasha sitting on his desk chair still in her clothing, he realized she wouldn't have a change of clothes so he grabbed the nicest shirt he could find and handed it to her.

"I don't think my sweats would fit you"

"thanks"

As he prepared himself for bed he found himself getting nervous, as much as he loved and missed Peggy there was something special about Natasha and he knew Peggy would want him to be happy. The black Widow walked out of Steve's bathroom with a thin white shirt that came down right above mid thigh and made Steve blush some more.

"Thanks for this Steve, and thanks for tonight, I had an amazing time"

"no problem ma'am, I mean miss. Romano-Nat. im sorry its just, I don't want what im about to say to scare you but would you care to be my dance partner?"

"we did dance tonight Steve?"

"No I mean, would you like to maybe be MY dance partner? The right partner"

"Oh" a look of shock flashed on Natashas face followed by a smile-"I would love that Steve, so does that mean tonight was a date"

"if you want it to be"

"well, a gentleman always pays on the first date"

Steve pulled Natasha towards him and enveloped her in a hug which she gladly accepted. She yawned and he realized how tired he truly was. Both avengers climbed onto Steve's bed and fell instantly asleep. Several hours later they were woken up by a loud boom coming from the kitchen, they barely had any time to realize that Natasha was on top of the captain and he had his arms around her. Both of them ran into the kitchen where they saw a fire beginning to erupt.


	3. Chapter 3

Thor stood over the toaster as it erupted into flames. The rest of the avengers ran in, Bruce being the one to grab a fire extinguisher and put out the small fire.

"Alright Point Break, why did you just kill the toaster?"

"My friend of Iron, this monstrosity of a machine had eaten my poptarts. I went to find Steve but I saw Lady Natasha was in his room so I went to her room to check for Steve but Bruce was there with no pants on so I did it myself."

"Red was in Steve's room? Alright Capsicle!"

They all turned to see Steve with his arm around Natasha's waist, her hair was messy and it was clear that she was wearing Steve's shirt. Tony began making ridiculous gestures that brought a blush to Steve's face.

"Stark, I would really appreciate if you would fix my wall, I'm gonna go shower"

"I don't think that will be possible little red, Hulk smashed a little…everywhere"

Natasha looked over at Bruce as he began to apologize and she smiled at him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it Bruce, Its all Tony's fault"

She didn't even have to turn around to know that Tony was sticking his tongue out at her.

"you know Stark, I can still kick your ass, fix my room"

"Its Sunday princess, no one is going to do that today, but I'll get on it, I'm sure Steve wouldn't mind letting you use his shower, you can go get some of your stuff and camp out with the captain. Hell why don't you join her in the shower cap?"

"Drop it Tony before I release Nat or I decide to go after you myself"

Natasha left the boys alone as they all watched Steve's every move. He didn't say a thing, he simply smiled and hummed as Natasha walked out completely dressed and Steve moved to take a quick shower, soon enough all the avengers were showered and ready to leave to the shield headquarters. Instead of climbing into the car with Clint as Natasha usually did everyone watched as she grabbed an extra motorcycle helmet and climbed on behind Steve. S.H.I.E.L.D was not far away and they were all sitting at a round table waiting for Director Fury. As soon as he walked in, all the chit chat stopped except for Tony.

"The entire team will be sent to India, there is a small factory on the outskirts of Goa that we believe is being run by an operation similar to hydra. Be warned, they can be extremely sloppy, we suspect that they are amateurs. You leave tonight, a jet will be landing on the roof of stark towers at 5pm, prepare to stay at least a week. You will hopefully be arriving back home in 3 days or less. Good luck"

"well that was nice and sweet and to the point, hey banner we should totally bunk…"

They all ignored Tonys mindless talking and headed back to the tower to prepare for the nearly 20 hour long trip and their stay in India. It took Clint and Natasha less than 5 minutes to pack, they were used to being in a hurry, after packing they could be found training. Captain America, Bruce and Thor were done in a little and were seen resting in the living room however no one saw Tony until the jet was beginning to land, he was dragging several suitcases behind him. Natasha walked past him unceremoniously tripping him and chuckling. She had two heavy looking bags with her which she easily put in the jet before helping Tony with his luggage as the rest of the avengers took their seats. Steve and Natasha sat next to each other with Clint in front of them and Thor across from them. Bruce was sitting next to Tony in front of Thor. As soon as were seating Clint took out his bow and began inspecting it and Natasha took out a gun and bean to pull it apart and clean it with her eyes closed. An hour into the ride Natasha had several guns cleaned and kept pulling them out of nowhere. Bruce went to talk to the pilot and came back with a file for each of them containing directions for the mission.

"Looks like were partners in espionage once again Tasha, I guess the rest of you get the first two days off while the badass members of the group do all the heavy lifting. So sweet cheeks how about we prepare the way we always do"

Natasha smirked as she stood up and walked towards the small bar area and pulled out a bottle of Vodka.

"Russian? Good thing they got the good stuff."

Steve and Bruce watched as Clint and Natasha polishes off the entire bottle of vodka in no time.

"There's no way that's safe is it Bruce?"

"afraid not Steve, but I'm sure they can handle themselves"

They watched as Clint got up and walked as if he was perfectly fine to dispose of the bottle and they continued cleaning their weapons.

"why don't we watch a movie, I'm bored out of my mind"

"you're always bored Tony"

"only cause there's never anything to do Katniss Everdeen"

Tony chose the movie he wanted to watch and Steve groaned when he saw the title

CAPTAIN AMERICA: OUR NATIONS HERO

The group watched as Steve gave his speech and punched out 'Hitler' in front of dancing girls, and his action films including one with Peggy's picture in it. They could all see the look on Steve's face as Bucky was shown on screen and the movie was stopped.

"I'm truly sorry about your losses Steve"

"Thanks Nat"

Clint broke up the awkward silence.

"so how about we all fondue? There's a machine in the back"

Steve turned bright red while Natasha and Tony burst into laughter, he was more than happy to explain what Steve had believed fondue to be, and explained its real meaning to Thor.

"So since fondue is out of the question why don't you two" he nodded his head towards Natasha and Clint "tell us what happened in Budapest, you know, we can all hear what you say"

Natasha rolled her eyes and she held Steve's hand.

"we were outnumbered, surrounded by too many people to count, almost didn't make it. I also remember Clint lighting my hair on fire"

"I remember that part, I also remember the sex"

Steve coughed uncomfortably as Tony began to howl with laughter and Natasha kicked the back of Clint seat causing him to fall forward and hit his face against the seat in front of him.

"sorry cap', sorry Tasha"

All Clint received was a huff from Natasha

"Hey Brucie, what time is it?"

"its 11, don't you have a watch Tony?"

"yeah, but checking requires work that I am not willing to do, looks like Thor is knocked out. Would anyone like a drink"

Natasha raised her hand as she walked into the bathroom, she came out minutes later dressed in sweats and a tank top and readily received Tony's drink, downing it in mere seconds and snuggled up to a surprised Steve. He was hadn't thought that Natasha would be very affectionate in public, then again the avengers were like family. Bruce's voice broke Steve out of his train of thought.

"we should be flying over England in the next 2 hours, then its about 11 hours till we arrive, I say we get some rest"

Steve heard Tony laugh but decided to zone everyone out and get some rest. They all woke up when they heard laughter coming from somewhere in the plane. No one was startled until they saw the pilot and copilot drinking coffee.

"Barton and Romanoff decided to hijack the plane, according to them, they can get up to our destination faster than us in their sleep"

Tony looked at the pilots

"were they right?"

"we are 4 hours ahead of schedule, should be landing in the next hour or so, I would start preparing to land"

The plane tilted unexpectedly and Clint could be heard laughing from the cockpit. Tony rolled his eyes and began to pack up while Bruce and Steve attempted to wake Thor up. Natasha's voice rand clearly through the jet.

"This is your captain, we should be landing in about half an hour where we will be met by a car that will take us to our house. Please prepare for landing and buckle your seatbelts unless you have a death wish"

Everyone sat in silence as they contemplated how this mission would go. Time flew by and they were met by two cars. One drove Natasha and Clint to where they would be beginning their mission and the other drove the rest of the avengers to their house. Upon arrival they were all seated in the living room and given communicators so they could hear what Natasha and Clint were doing and be prepared in case the pair needs backup. It was silent for a while but after about an hour they could clearly hear Clint.

"Holy Shit"


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing widow? …Tasha?"

They just heard grunts. Clint looked down to see Natasha finishing off a group of 10 men.

"Looks like they have plenty of guys on the ground. Sneaking might not be so easy, you all good Tash?"

"Yeah, can you get a clear look at about how many people are in the buildings and how many people are surrounding?"

"I can see about 50 outside, that's not including the back, I can see another 50 from the window on the first floor, everything is not visible…wait, Fury was right about the boss"

The avengers back in the house recalled reading in the report that the boss lived in a house mearly feet away from the factory. He brought back the hottest blonde he could find every night at his usual bar. He could be seen escorting her out with a disgusting smirk on his face. Natasha and Clint spent the next 12 hours observing and taking down a large number of wandering employees of the factory. They hid the bodies and made their way to their temporary house. They were both exhausted by the time they made it, they only stayed awake enough to fill in the avengers on what they observed as well as speaking with Fury and receiving new orders. They all slept for several hours before the sun rose and the heat began to bother them all. Natasha kissed Steve's cheek as he slept and left the house accompanied by a shield agent. When the rest of the woke up, they found Clint laying on the couch relaxing.

"hey bird boy, I thought you and the princess were doing some more sneaking today"

"Change of orders, I get the day off with you guys, were attacking tonight instead on tomorrow. It's really all up to Tasha until then. She's going to do her thing and seduce the head honcho tonight, turns out those minions can't do anything without consulting their boss so she's gonna make sure nothing reaches him."

Steve, Thor and Bruce looked unsure.

"What do you mean by seduce?"

"Do what she always does, get all nice and sexy, go home with him, keep him entertained, make sure he focuses on her. Don't worry about Nat Steve, she can hold her own"

Steve didn't stop worrying. However several hours later his mind was wiped clear as Natasha walked in wearing a skin tight dress and stilettos, however it was her hair that caught him by surprise. Her scarlett locks were replaced by long blonde waves.

"Tony, stop staring at my ass"

"I genuinely do not believe I can. Damn"

Steve glared at Tony.

"You look beautiful Natasha"

"Thanks Steve, now if you gentlemen and Tony don't mind, I have to go do my job."

She put her communicator in and walked out the door. As the rest of the team got ready they heard Natasha over the comm.

"entering the bar right now. Target spotted"

They were able to hear some background noise as well as Natasha voice. A voice could be heard coming from Natasha side, it was obvious by her change of tone that she was flirting, meaning the boss was trying to get friendly.

"Why don't we get this pretty lady a drink."

"That would be lovely, what do you recommend"

"Sex on the beach for…what's your name doll?"

"Natalie, I'm on vacation for the week, I figured this might be a good place to look for a good time"

"Trust me honey you found the right place"

After several drinks and flirting that made Steve furious Natasha made a comment that was clearly directed towards them.

"Well how about we get ready to leave"

The rest of the avengers put on their uniforms as they heard rustling on the other end that made Steve extremely irritated. It was dark out already and from where the Avengers were stationed outside the building they could see Natasha pretending to be drunk with the boss grabbing her around the waist and that skeezy smile on his face. Steve spoke up.

"Shouldn't we step in now?"

Clint rolled his eyes.

"Not yet, let her do her thing, don't worry Steve this isn't Tasha's first trip down skank lane."

They could see Natasha and the boss through his window, at this time Natasha was missing her dress. They had to watch for what seemed forever to Steve.

"How can she move her hips like that?"

Clint and Tony giggled. Steve just watched silently hoping this would end quickly and his wish was granted. As the man pushed Natasha onto the bed and climbed on top she snaked her arms around his head and snapped his neck.

"Sorry about the wait guys. You can fall in now. Clint, where did you hide my suit?"

"In his closet, you know for a guy that ran such a big factory, you would think he would have better security. Breaking in was too easy."

Bruce got their attention by reminding them of what they were trying to do.

"Alright guys, remember we have to keep as much of the weaponry as we can, Fury wants to know what technology these guys have. Let's go"

Steve led them into the building to find multiple men ready to fight. It didn't take long for the entire team to plow through the first two floors but on the third floor the men began to be armed with stronger weapons. Clint yelled out.

"CAPTAIN! BEHIND YOU!"

Steve turned around in time to see a man holding a gun falling to the ground with Natasha standing behind him. She winked at him and ran off.

"Hey Capsicle, stop staring at Widow and get your ass over here to help me, oh wait, that won't be necessary, looks like Banner finally hulked out"

Steve turned around and saw the hulk smashing a giant group of people.

"Ohhh sorry about that Nat. hey hey hey we're not fighting each other! NO OWWW! NAT!"

They all turned around to see Clint holding a hand over his eye and Natasha walking away from him with the ends of her hair singed off.

"Just like Budapest….asshole. Well looks like everything is under control."

She pulled out a phone and called in shield with one hand and twisted a man's arm with the other. Thor, Hulk and Tony took care of the men upstairs while Natasha Steve and Clint took care of any men surrounding the area. Natasha went back to the boss's house to retrieve some files and ran into someone unexpected.

"Guys I don't think this is hydra."

"What makes you say that lady Natasha?"

"Cause I'm face to face with a…"

"Tasha?"

They could all hear Natasha curse in Russian and gunshots being fired. Clint was the first to speak up.

"Tasha? Can anyone get away from their current predicament?"

Before anyone could answer Natasha and someone with bright red hair were seen falling out of the second story window of the bosses house. Tony grabbed Natasha and the other girl grabbed onto Natasha's leg. They were soon set on the ground and continued to fight, not missing a beat. They all saw an arrow hit the girl in the leg and Natasha grab her, but the girl went limp in her arms. At that moment a S.H.I.E.L.D plane flew overhead and landed not far away. Without a word the agents filed in to take the weapons and files. Steve helped Natasha up, Fury walked out of the plane and over to the avengers.

"Report"

"Everything went as expected director Fury. However something was out of the ordinary"

Natasha nodded towards the young red head lying on the ground.

"It's a widow in training. I recognized her from my last mission. Red Room was involved."

Fury's expression did not change as he nodded to the car behind them and moved back to the plane. The avengers set off to their temporary home. All exhausted except for Tony who seemed to be in an extremely jovial mood as always.

"We should totally go get some ice cream , and vodka"

* * *

I want to thank everyone for the support I have received for this story I honestly didn't expect anyone to take interest. I would really love for you guys to give me some ideas on what should happen and give me some feedback. I have several chapters already written but I would really appreciate the help. Thanks so much!


	5. Chapter 5

They sat in the jet they had just boarded as Bruce looked over any injuries. Thor smiled as he showed no injuries except for a Bruise on his leg when he had accidentally hit himself, Tony was almost unscratched except for several cuts and bruises, Clint had a black eye that Natasha kept grinning at, Steve had a cut above his eyebrow. Natasha had only a hand shaped bruise on her waist that angered Steve and red on her wrist that's she said was a 'failed widows bite'.

"I'm sorry you had to see what happened Steve"

"It's alright Nat, I'm just glad you're alright"

She looked at him tenderly and smiled, without pause she leaned up and played her lips upon Steve's. Tony watched as Steve's surprised face changed into that of bliss as he kissed back. Both Tony and Clint cheered and Thor caused some lightning. Steve chuckled as he deepened kiss and Natasha smiled into the kiss.

"Shouldn't we have landed already?"

"Chill Brucie, I decided we should take a detour for a few days. You can mix killer drinks right Natalie Rushman?"

"Of course I can Stark"

"Good, I rented out the mini bar where were going. I'm guessing you and I are in charge."

Natasha nodded and snuggled back into Steve's shoulder. Tony chucked.

"I would have never expected Red and Capsicle to get together. I mean he's so wholesome and Natasha isn't"

Tony caught Natasha flipping him off from the corner of the room.

"Where are we going man of iron?"

"To our hotel room buddy, I have more fitting clothes waiting for us there, I'm guessing we'll be there soon. Did Natasha fall asleep?"

"Yeah, she must be exhausted"

They landed but no one had the heart to wake Natasha up so Thor, Clint and Bruce helped carry bags while Steve carried Natasha.

"Cabo?"

"Right Mr. Bruce. I expect we'll have a lovely time. There is some tequila calling my name."

They walked into their hotel to find that the ocean as their backyard.

"Hope you don't mind Steve-o but I got one room for you and the princess to share. Maybe she'll take away your purity and make you a man."

Steve rolled his eyes and went into his room.

"Tony may be a pain but wow"

Steve laid Natasha on the bed as he showered and looked through the closet and toiletries that Tony had gotten for them. He found a pair of swim trunks. An American flag…of course Tony would pick that. He heard Natasha wake up.

"Hey Nat, I think we're going to the beach."

He passed her a small bag that was obviously for her.

"Ill warn you Tony picked everything out"

He showed her his swim trunks and she chuckled. She showered and walked out with a blue cover up.

"You know Tasha, you look beautiful as blonde, Then again you always look beautiful"

She looked down and blushed, grabbing a hold of Steve's hand and pulling him to the back where the rest of the team was.

"Cabo right?"

"I guess so"

"oooh tequila!"

Steve chuckled and shook his head as he took off his shirt which attracted some attention from some girls down the beach, their eye nearly popped out of their heads as Thor joined Steve.

"Lady Tasha is more like the man of iron than she would like to admit. They are both fans of alcohol"

"That they are buddy"

Clint ran past them and into the water screaming. The girls from down the beach began walking over as Natasha snuck up on them and jumped on Thor's back.

"Hey buddy! Looks like you two have garnered some attention from some girls down the beach."

Thor laughed and Tony chuckled.

"Lady Tasha I have never seen you this relaxed. Vacation does you well"

"Yeah, this is the first vacation I've had in over 20 years, I'm planning on enjoying as much as possible"

Clint came back and shook the water off his head onto the three standing beachside. They were joined by Tony and Bruce.

"I see vacation makes the two master assassins act like children, I'm gonna like this. More tequila Anastasia?"

"si por favor"

The group of girls reached the group and began to flirt shamelessly. Natasha couldn't help but chuckle as they flirted with Steve and he turned bright red. She moved aside and pulled off her beach cover, the girls took their attention off the boys for a second to glare at Natasha.

"So how about we go have some fun of our own Blondie"

"I uh um I don't…um my girlfriend wouldn't like that"

"I'm sure I can show you a better time"

Before Natasha could say anything Thor spoke up.

"Do not insult my friend; she is more than capable of pleasing Steve! She is talented, believe me!"

Natasha choked on her Tequila as Clint agreed with him.

"Fine then, how about you and I go Mr. Protective?"

Tony grabbed Thor's hand and put his head on his shoulder, and winked.

"I don't think he would like that."

Steve was holding Natasha up with one arm and Clint up with the other, neither of them could breathe from the laughter. The girls gave up and walked away. Steve suddenly seemed to notice what Natasha was wearing and blushed.

"Maybe we should go ahead and get in the water, then we can go get dinner."

"Sounds good Steve, let's go."

Natasha jumped on Steve's back and he could feel her soft skin flush against his back as he ran into the water as the waves pushed them off their feet. Natasha's laughter filled the air and time seemed to fly by. In what seemed like no time Bruce was calling them out of the water for dinner. They had dinner in a small outdoor restaurant with a perfect view of the sunset.

"To the avengers, my friends I'm a filled with joy to be joining you all"

"We're happy to have you point break, more tequila Tash?"

Natasha's cheeks were pink, she's was obviously well on her way to being intoxicated and Tony was more than happy to keep providing drink.

"Hey Nat? Did you wear enough sunscreen, your shoulders are red"

"Nope birdie boy. I'm burnttt"

Tony chuckled as he poured Natasha more tequila. Clint laughed.

"Just like any other Saturday night?"

Bruce and Steve looked at him questioningly as Thor Tony and Natasha drank.

"I think she takes the fact that it's hard for her to get drunk as a challenge. In my opinion she's trying to forget about the red on her ledger. I usually have to haul her ass home on my shoulder. But even drunk Natasha can take care of herself it's kind of scary."

As they talked about her Tony spilled a margarita on Natasha, instead of threatening to kill him like she normally would, she simply got up and announced that she would be back after a quick shower.

"sooooo Cap. You're dating the black widow, think your finally gonna become a man?"

"Tony"

Bruce glared at tony but he kept on going.

"Are you waiting till marriage Capsicle? Why wait so long, you're captain America!"

"It's not about time Tony, it's about finding the right woman and being in love."

Clint joined the conversation

"Do you see yourself loving Tasha someday?"

"In some way I already do, she likes me for Steve, not captain America. She's strong and beautiful and kind and smart and fun and caring. She is perfection in every aspect"

Clint giggles as he looked behind Steve to see Natasha standing there in a new dress smiling and blushing. She looked significantly sobered up, the cold shower obviously did her well.

"You know captain by the look on Anastasia face, I would you you're definitely gonna get lucky"

They had their dinner and decided to go to sleep and rest from the past few days. Thor picked up Tony and Clint who were both asleep and threw them over his shoulders to take them to bed, Bruce bid them goodnight and went to his own room while Natasha and Steve wandered back to the beach. Steve sat and allowed Natasha to lay on him.

"So you love me?"

"Does that freak you out?"

Natasha snorted and shook her head.

"The only thing that freaks me out is that I might love you back. I've never had a safe place to land, there's something about you Steve Rogers, you're special"

"You're pretty extraordinary yourself Ms. Romanoff"

She just chuckled and snuggled into him watching the stars.

"You know I would never rush you into something you're not ready for"

"I know"

He kissed her forehead and wrapped him arms around her. They sat in silence until all that could be heard was their slow breathing. It wasn't the bright sun that woke them up, it was Thor and Tony looking down at them as Clint splashed them with cold water. In seconds Steve had Thor in a chokehold while Natasha had Clint head in a thigh grip and Tony on the ground underneath her with a knife against his neck.

"Damn Clint, that looks like a good way to go."

She let them all go as Steve apologized profusely at Thor as he just laughed and patted Steve on the back.

"So sex on the beach?"

Steve looked outrage as Natasha laughed and accepted the drink Tony was offering her.


	6. Chapter 6

All that could be heard was the birds chirping as Natasha and Bruce relaxed and received massages.

"We should take days off more often"

"Agreed"

They were silent for a little while until they heard the booming laughter that could only belong to the smiling god and Tony Starks howling laughter follow by Clint laughing. The two heroes looked up to see the three men in question in their birthday suits running into the water.

"Oh dear god"

Steve's yells were heard following the guys as he waved three swim trunks in his hands. Natasha and Bruce paid for their massages and Bruce chased after them while Natasha put a shirt on and tried to talk the god into putting on trunks.

"Stark, Barton, no one wants to see your asses!"

"What about point break!"

"Well people want to see but he should still cover up"

The wave that passed crashed into the guys and pushed them out to shore where Steve threw the bottoms at them and covered Natasha's eyes with his hand. She laughed loudly until a wave crashed into them and soaked them.

"Uh oh, Steve, stand in front of me"

He did as he was told.

"Um why?"

"because I'm not wearing any sort of bikini top or bra and I'm wearing a white top that is now completely soaked…can you figure it out?"

"Right, Lets go back to the room and get you something to wear"

Tony stood up in all his pride and glory.

"Don't worry cap, I'll get the pretty girl something to wear, no worries"

He walked away before either of them could respond and came back and tossed Natasha several pieces of Cloth. She walked into the ocean where she was covered by the water and came out yelling at Tony. Steve began to cough and Clint Tony and Bruce stared and Thor tripped over his own feet. Natasha was wearing a tiny black bikini that left very little to the imagination.

"Wow thanks so much Stark, id be better off with the shirt"

"Maybe now Capsicle will give in and you can bone him"

Steve was suddenly standing next to Tony one second and Tony was on the floor the next. Thor laughed as he finally slipped his swim trunks. Clint ignored Tony on the floor.

"We should go dancing tonight; we'll have a good time"

Natasha nodded and pulled Steve into the water. They played in the water for several hours and laid out on the beach before deciding to get ready to go. Bruce and Tony ended up staying in since Tony was complaining of a head ache and glaring at Steve and Bruce said clubs were not his scene. Natasha tried to pull Steve out to dance but he got shy so for the next hour she was shared by Thor and Clint until finally Steve stepped in for a slower song and pulled Natasha close to him. They looked around to see Thor hugging an uncomfortably looking Clint around the dance floor. It was nearly four in the morning when the missing avengers arrived back at the hotel. Tony was still up on his laptop drinking a martini out by the pool. They all went to their respective rooms where Natasha showered followed by Steve and they crawled into bed together. The room seemed to get hotter and clothes began to come off until they were laying in bed in next to nothing. Steve's hand moved from Natasha's thigh to her waist, holding her softly as her lips found his. Her legs were wrapped around his waist as if it was instinctual.

"Are you sure Steve?"

He put his hand on her cheek and looked at her tenderly

"I've never been more certain of anything else in my life Tasha. I found my right dance partner."

Natasha smiles as her lips found Steve's once more.

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alright guys, i have one more chapter already written and i have a few more ideas but if you could send in some of your ideas to keep the story going, that would be awesome. Thanks a bunch for your love.


	7. Chapter 7

Knocking on the glass door that leads to the pool woke Steve up, it was clear that it was past noon. He looked at a naked Natasha sleeping next to him and the events from last night came flooding back to him, he moved to open the door when he realized how exhausted he was. How did she bend the way she did. He grabbed his shirt and pajama pant off the floor and put them on before opening the door to find Tony in a bright pink bikini top.

"Can I help you?"

"You're not naked? What a pity. Fury called, were being flown back to New York ASAP looks like they need the avengers to save the city again, you ok Stevie? You look a little worn down"

"I'm fine Tony, Nat and I will be out in 30"

"Alrighty Mr. Purity, I'm going to go wake bird boy, b the way, it's your precious girlfriends fault that I'm sporting this lovely top"

Steve shook his head and closed the door before climbing back into bed and kissing Natasha's forehead.

"Hmmm. I like being woken up this way."

"Come on, beautiful. Looks like we have to go save the city. I told Stark we would be ready in 30."

She nodded and showered as Steve packed for the both of them. They were both ready to go in 15 minutes. Thor bounced into the room holding two bags.

"Our great friend Bruce wanted me to bring you food, he said we must prepare"

Steve took them and smiled at Thor as they put their bags in the car that Tony and Clint were waiting in. Tony looked up and glared at Natasha.

"Evil Russian bitch"

"Egotistical self absorbed bastard"

Clint looked just as confused as Steve did. Banner and Thor joined their team and made it to the airport and boarded their jet. For the first hour Tony glared at Natasha until Bruce finally ordered Tony to tell him what the hell was going on. Tony stood up and took off his shirt to reveal the same pink bikini that Steve had seen that morning and pointed at Natasha.

"That she devil put this on me and it won't come off"

Natasha giggled, grabbed a glass full of vodka and threw it on Tony making the bikini top slide off his chest.

"I figured you would get vodka or some kind of alcohol on yourself quick enough"

"Bitch, fuck, shit"

Tony smirked since he knew Natasha didn't like it when people cursed, Steve avoided crude language as well.

"You know you're twitching a little cupcake, don't like it when I say FUCK!"

A knife landed an inch away from Tony's head on his seat.

"You could have killed me!"

"If I wanted to kill you I wouldn't have missed"

Natasha smiled at him and opened up her laptop to connect with S.H.I.E.L.D. Maria Hill popped up on the screen to fill the group in on their task.

"Good morning Avengers. Since you have been missing for the last few days you have missed a recent attack on New York. Looks like a few Chitauri have decided to attack on their own. The hoard is o where near the size of the last battle but we still need to call you guys in to get rid of them. The jet will be landing on top of a building in New York so be prepared."

"Thank you Agent Hill"

She nodded and gave them a small smile before disappearing off the screen.

"Well this is gonna be fun."

Natasha smirked at Clint as they started to prepare. Clint Started to strip in front of everyone.

"Hey legolas what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready Tony, have you seen the size of that bathroom, it will be impossible to change in there"

"Well if were gonna do this lets make it fun"

Tony grabbed a remote control and put on club music making a scene out of taking off his shirt.

"Tony, you don't even have to get undressed to get in your suit"

"Don't pretend you don't enjoy this Peaches"

Natasha rolled her eyes and grabbed her suit and grabbed Thor, making him stand next to Steve creating a curtain of muscle for her to change behind. She walked out from behind them in her skintight leather suit.

"Seriously princess, whoever came up with the suit is genius. The enemy is too busy staring at your ass to fight back. OW. Is this jet ride beat up the billionaire time?"

Steve had smacked Tony hard enough for him to fall to the floor. Natasha laughed and began to stock her suit full of weapons.

"You know what I wanna know Capsicle? Did the super soldier serum improve ALL parts of your body?"

Steve glared at Tony as his cheeks turned bright red and Clint laughed. After Steve changed they sat down and tried to relax before the arriving. However while flying into New York the turbulence seemed to get intense. Tony, in his iron man suit grabbed a hold of Bruce and Natasha and Thor grabbed Clint and Steve, they didn't have to think twice before jumping out of the plane and getting their teammates to safety. Tony dropped Natasha several feet above the floor and softy placed Bruce on the ground. Natasha glared at him but ran right into the middle of the monsters and began to shoot. Clint was already shooting his arrows from high up on a building and Steve and Thor landed next to Natasha. Tony was flying circles around the main part of the fight shooting any of the bed guys he could see.

"I swear Barton if you set my hair on fire again you're done for"

"Then stop getting in my way sweet cheeks"

Tony could be heard laughing as the two assasins argued in the middle of a fight. Just like the last time the Chitauri seemed to multiply, if you killed one two more appeared.

"Hey Capsicle, how does it feel to know you might die a virgin"

You could practically hear the smirk on Tony face before Natasha answered for Steve.

"He wouldn't know Stark"

Tony turned to look at Steve and neglected to see the Chitauri behind him, they received a bullet to the head before they could harm Tony. In return Tony blasted the monster behind Natasha. Once Bruce Turned into the Hulk things definitely started to look better. However Tony was too busy interrogating Steve to be helping Clint up above. Thor was surprised as he heard Natasha yell at him to throw her up in the air, he complied having learned to listen to the female avenger. Steve and Tony were momentarily distracted as they saw the black widow fly up to a building but their attention was brought back to the giant killer slugs. Up on the building Clint was surrounded but he couldn't back out unless he wanted to fall off the building.

"Tasha? What are you doing up here? Here to save my ass?"

"Pretty much. My Comms broken"

The Chitauri moved a little and Clint was able to get away from the edge of the building. Natasha's eyes widened as she saw a Chitauri floating behind Clint ready to shoot, she knew he had no way out. He was surrounded and there was only one thing to do. She slid under everyone and stood behind Clint before the soldier could shoot. Clint felt Natasha stumble against his back. Tony appeared and blasted all the soldiers from around Clint and Natasha glared. She leaned into Clint making sure that Stark could hear her over Clint's comm..

"Couldn't have done that 30 seconds ago Stark? You know Clint; I should really stop saving your ass. Tony give us a lift down"

Tony grabbed both Clint and Natasha and took them down to where Thor, Steve and Hulk were fighting. The Hulk seemed to be able to take care of most of the monsters terrorizing the city and Thor got rid of the ones that the Hulk missed. Tony flew around occasionally shot as Clint and Natasha moved further down town to get rid of any stragglers.

"Tasha, why are you limping?"

"I told you, I had to save your sorry ass"

"You got hurt?"

"Yeah, it's nothing too bad"

"You need to get that taken care of"

"I will, as soon as we get this done"

"Tasha…."

"I'm fine; we just need to finish this"

Clint shook his head and continued to walk, keeping a careful eye on the limping blonde next to him. He could hear Steve and Tony decide to follow Clint and Natasha since the battle was nearly over.

"Hey Rogers, that arm of yours alright?"

"Yeah, might be broken, but ill survive Tony"

"Are the rest of you alright?"

They could hear Thor grunt and say something about his foot.

"Tasha over here is wounded but her stubborn ass won't stop moving, I have a dislocated shoulder and there's a shard of glass sticking out of my side, don't wanna take it out and start gushing blood"

"Well this seems to be over for the most part Katniss. Seems like S.H.I.E.L.D has just arrived, and we barely destroyed anything I say that calls for celebration. Chinese food maybe?"

Steve and Tony caught up as Clint shot an arrow through a Chitauri's head. They began heading back with Tony flying over head looking for any other things to attack. Once they reached Thor and the Hulk they found them both sitting on the ground with the Hulk trying to lift mjolnir and Thor laughing. There was an ambulance waiting for them, Tony immediately pushed Clint and Natasha towards the ambulance as Steve followed behind. The paramedic took care of Clint and Steve first since they're injuries were more obvious.

"Tasha, come here, your hurt too"

The paramedic looked at Natasha.

"Where are you hurt Darling, you don't look to be injured. Maybe just a little too pale for my liking."

"I'll need to get my suit off"

As if he was called, Tony appeared next to Natasha holding a button up shirt that seemed to belong to Bruce and shorts. She nodded at him and changed in the ambulance, Clint's jaw went slack when she limped back out.

"You said it wasn't a big deal! Natasha, you're shot!"

Steve looked up and he saw the blood flowing from Natasha's thigh and the shirt was beginning to be soaked in blood. The paramedic finished patching up Steve and Clint and rushed off to Natasha.

"I can't treat this hear, she needs to get to a hospital."

Clint climbed into the ambulance since he knew all of Natasha's S.H.I.E.L.D issued information. Tony, Steve, Thor and a shirtless Bruce made it to the hospital before the ambulance did; they panicked as they saw an unconscious Natasha being rolled into the hospital. Clint caught up to them and filled them in, Natasha had flat lined twice on the way here. The shot in her stomach had hit an artery; she was being taken into surgery.

"As long as she makes it through the surgery, which she will Steve, Natasha tough as hell and too stubborn to leave, she'll be back in no time"

Steve nodded at Clint as they all sat down in the waiting room. It was almost a comical sight, Tony's arc reactor was shining brightly through his black shirt and he was covered in dirt. Thor was in his typical Asgardian attire with a hammer in his hand. Clint had his arrows with him and he kept glaring at anyone who looked their way. Bruce was sitting on a chair shirtless holding an icepack on his head and Steve was in his captain America suit holding his shield looking down at his feet. It was over 4 hours later when the doctor finally came out and nodded towards the group, he stumbled for a second when he realized who he was looking at.

"I um- your friend is certainly a fighter, she flat lined once on the table but she came back, wouldn't let go. We got the bullets out and fixed her up, we had to cut her wounds open, they were starting to heal already. I was confused but I guess seeing who she's with, it would make sense that she is some sort of super hero. All that can be done now is get some rest."

"Hey doc. Is she good to eat?"

"Well before I left the room the wounds were already starting to heal up so I would say yes, just make sure she doesn't feel any discomfort. Should she be put in a shared room or-"

"Private room doc."

"Alright, shell be waking up soon, she was burning through all the drugs we gave her."

The group waited until they were informed where Natasha was put. Tony and Thor seemed to disappear in the mean time. Steve, Clint and Bruce raced into the room to see an irritated looking Natasha argue with a nurse. Her face brightened when she saw her team and the nurse nearly ran out of the room.

"She won't hand me the remote, says I need to sleep, all I need is some damn food and for you guys to stop looking so worried."

Clint walked into the room and handed her the remote, sitting on the chair next to her bed. Bruce was going to walk in but was nearly trampled by Thor and Tony was they ran into the room holding large bags. Bruce laughed and sat in the chair next to Clint as Steve slowly approached Natasha.

"Steve, I'm fine, stop looking so serious, do you want me to show you my boobs?"

Tony's ears perked up.

"YES! He does"

Steve smacked the back of Tony's head and moved forward to kiss Natasha on the top of her head.

"I brought Chinese food, I even got you some scallion pancakes Anastasia"

"And I have brought us these pillows that take the form of pets!"

They all looked at Thor as he hug a moose shaped pillow pet. They laughed at the innocent Asgardian yet in no time they all had a pillow pet in their hands as they ate their Chinese food. Steve laid in bed next to Natasha and the rest of the group surrounded them. They fell asleep that way until they woke up to find Thor in the corner of the room, surrounded by pillow pets as he ate Chinese food. Natasha was set to be released in a week but her injuries had healed so quickly that she was being dismissed that very day. The job of caretaker was transferred from the very capable hands of the doctors to the mischievous trouble making avengers. Natasha knew she was in for a hell of an entertaining recovery time.

* * *

**Hey guys, i'm going away for a couple days so i wont be posting anything which is why i made this chapter a little longer than usual. Enjoy :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Thor helped her walk into the building as Steve carried all the pillow pets he could hold in his arms.

"Will this elevator hurry up, there is a couch calling my name and hopefully some waffles."

She turned her head and fluttered her lashes at Clint; he simply rolled his eyes and nodded.

"So peaches, did Fury say how long you would be out of commission?"

"Two weeks, I may be able to make it one week with good behavior"

"Good behavior? What are you, grounded?"

"Kind of, he's still mad because last time I almost died I ended up going against his orders and getting involved in another mission, it's not my fault Clint likes to get in trouble"

Clint huffed and walked out of the elevator and into the kitchen as soon as they landed on their floor. Her room was still not fixed.

"Tony!"

"Forgot about that, Jarvis contact someone to fix Nat's room"

"Right away Mr. Stark, welcome home"

Thor picked Natasha up bridal style and carried her over to the couch.

"You know I could get used to not doing anything"

Clint looked over at her as he took waffle ingredients from the fridge and cabinets.

"I give it until tomorrow morning; you'll be fidgeting and trying to get back in the gym"

Steve sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her and Thor sat on her other side. Bruce sat down on the love seat that he had claimed as his own and Tony sat on Steve's lap. Steve was too shocked to push him off.

"Uh, I-um Tony? Can you please get off?"

"In front of the entire group? Why Steve I didn't know you were into doing that in public"

Clint chuckled and Steve took a moment to comprehend what Tony was saying before he pushed him off his lap with force. Clint put a plate full of waffles in front of Natasha.

"You are a God."

Thor looked puzzled.

"I did not know that friend Hawk; tell me, God of what?"

They all chuckled as Clint began to explain what Natasha had meant. Natasha turned on the T.V, the noise in the room died down as soon as she found the Walking Dead. Steve looked disturbed.

"It's scary how much fiction shows have improved"

"Fiction? You mean to tell me this is not real"

Natasha nodded at Thor as she stretched her legs out on his lap and snuggled further into Steve.

"How awesome would that be though? Fighting Zombies with the Avengers"

Tony and Natasha looked all too enthusiastic at Clint's idea. Things died down after the zombie discussion and Tony was quick to start complaining.

"Let's do something, can we play something? Let's tell secrets! Interrogation time!"

They all looked weary and it took nearly an hour of Tony annoying them all for them to begin to cave. Clint got up and brought back alcohol knowing that it would be the only way for Natasha to not get irritated with Tony.

"Alrighty, this is gonna be fun! Let's start easy, first love, Brucie?"

"Um. Betty, Betty Ross. Thor?"

"I believed I was in love with Lady Sif, it was merely a childhood thing. It must be Lady Jane"

Steve mumbled Peggy's name and Clint nodded towards Natasha. Natasha downed her drink before speaking up.

"Alexi Shostakov."

"And who's that my dear Anastasia?"

"My ex-husband. I believe it's your turn Tony and you can't say yourself."

They were all wide eyed at Natasha's confession but Tony continued to speak.

"Well then I guess its Pepper. First time you got it on? I was 15 at a party, even then I was skilled."

"I was 17 with a brunettes who's name I don't remember"

Clint nodded at Bruce who said 20 and Thor who said he can't remember. Steve turned bright red.

"A few days ago"

Tony was chucking as he looked at Natasha, the kind look in her eyes was replaced by a cold one.

"I was 11, an initiation into the black widow program and it was definitely against my will. I had been a part of the Red Room for about 4 years already. I meant when I said I started early, do you remember that Bruce"

Silence flooded the room as Natasha stood up and limped out of the room, walking into Steve's room and slamming in the door.

"I swear, I didn't know. I wouldn't have asked"

Tony's guilt was evident in his voice. Steve nodded at him and stood up to go to his room. Seconds later he was back in the room.

"I'm not the only one that saw her go in there right? Because my room is empty"

Clint shook his head.

"Give her a few hours, if she's not back in say, 6 hours we can go look"

The hours passed with everyone trying to ease Tony's guilt and Steve sitting impatiently in his seat. Eventually Clint stood up and beckoned for the team to follow him silently. They rode down in the elevators to the gym. Music could be heard from outside the door. Inside they saw Natasha moving with grace.

"She's a ballerina, or at least she was made to believe that she was"

Thor accidentally pushed them all, sending them crashing into the gym and causing Natasha to turn around and pull a gun out of nowhere pointing straight at Tony's head. Steve and Bruce instantly noticed the blood flowing from her previous leg wound and soaking through her ballet shows. She slowly put down her gun as Steve literally swept her off her feet and Bruce began to treat her wounds.

"Red- Natasha I'm so sorry, honey I wouldn't have said anything had I known."

"Its alright Stark, s'not your fault"

She sent him her own version of a smile as she allowed Steve to carry her upstairs into his bedroom. Once he set her down on the bed and closed the door behind him Natasha spoke up.

"I'm guessing you want to know about me, my past"

"You don't have to…"

"I know. But I want to know about you first. Tell me about your childhood, I want to know you Steve Rogers"

"Well…"


	9. Chapter 9

"Well, I was born in Brooklyn. My parents were Irish-"

There was a small crash outside as the door burst open and the rest of the avengers burst in, Tony in the lead.

"Story time?"

He threw himself on the bed next to Steve and Clint, Bruce and Thor followed. Steve rolled his eyes but continued to speak.

"As I was saying, my parents were Irish. Sarah and Joseph, the most incredible people. I didn't know my dad, he passed away when I was a little kid. My mom however was with me for a while."

Natasha pulled herself into Steve's lap and held his hand.

"She raised me to be extremely catholic. But when I was a teenager she got pneumonia and passed away. I was sent to an orphanage and that's where I met Bucky. He actually reminds me a lot of Clint. One of a kind. We grew up together, he was definitely the more outgoing one out of the two of us. When we got older he was the one getting all the girls and going out to parties and dragging me along with him against my will."

Clint and Tony chuckled as Natasha snuggled further into Steve.

"Then the war happened and Bucky was gone. I tried but the army wouldn't take me. I was too little and frail until I became the Super Soldier. That's around the time I met Stark and Peggy."

Tony looked up at the mention of his father.

"they were incredible people. Anyways after that I pretty much just went around with a bunch of show girls 'boosting morale'. Until I had to boost the morale of the army and I heard that Bucky had been taken. Peggy and Stark helped me get to the soldiers and save them. Even in a daze Bucky was still a humerous ass. After getting to safety I assembled my team and we started to really fight. It was going well until we lost Bucky. Everything fell apart that day but we had to keep fighting. I guess the next big event was crashing the plane into the ice. Next thing I know I'm no longer in the 40s and Fury is asking me to help save the world. It was quite a change but I've got to admit I met some pretty amazing people."

Tony pretended to wipe his fake tears and Bruce smacked him over the head. Steve looked to Natasha and everyone understood that it was her turn to talk.

"I was born in Stalingrad, Russia. To be honest I don't remember much about my parents. I recall my father and I playing in the snow and baking with my mom. I was their little princess. But then everything turned to flames. My house was burning and we were all inside but there was a man, Ivan Petrovitch. He got me out of the house, but he didn't even try to get my parents out. He just let me watch as my house burned down and the screams of my parents suddenly stopped. They were screaming for me. Their Natalia Romanova."

Steve ran his finger through Natasha's hair, letting her know that he was there for her.

"Ivan took me to department x where I was pretty much brainwashed. It was there where I became a part Red Room and the Black Widow Ops. They gave me fake memories to make sure that I stayed loyal. There they made all the girls fight against each other, sometimes to the death. They made us prove ourselves to everyone. That includes sexually. I made my first kill at age eight, When I was 19 I married Alexi Shostakov, he was a soviet test pilot. We were married for a little over 3 years before he was made to fake his own death and became the Red Guardian."

All but Clint looked up in alarm. The red guardian had definetly been on S.H.I.E.L.D's radar.

"I was made into the Black Widow right after his death, I received the super soldier serum when I was about 22. Several years after that I discovered that everything Red Room had told me was a lie. I was never a ballerina, my parent's death was not an accident, Alexi was not dead. I left Red Room and began fighting on my own, I shut down after that and the red I collected on my ledger was…"

It was obvious she had no words so she moved on. Clint noticed her getting pale and he grabbed the trash can next to the bed and pulled it over to Natasha.

"It was almost 20 years after that when S.H.I.E.L.D stepped in to get rid of me. KGB tried to kill me before the Americans got to me but they weren't successful. Clint was sent to kill me but he didn't. He had me cornered and instead of ending it there, he simply stretched out his hand and offered me a new life, and I took it. He made me his responsibility and in no time we were working together. We worked together for 5 years before we started any relationship. I think it was 2004 when we started but it ended 4 years later. Ive been working for S.H.I.E.L.D and now the Avengers. My days at Red Room however were the most terrible days, not only because of what they did to me-"

She had to stop to take a big breath, she was a lot more pale. Clint handed her the trashcan which cause everyone to look confused and slightly worried.

"it was terrible because of what I happily did, I took lives and I enjoyed it, I took pride in it."

That was all she was able to say before she began vomiting into the trashcan. Instead of getting away lke many people would the Avengers tried to comfort her and rushed to figure out what was happening. Clint explained that Red Room made it so that if she tried to remember anything from her past, she would react badly. After some vomiting she blacked out for about 10 minutes. When she woke up she was on the couch laying on Steve's lap. They were watching Mulan. She was worried that they would treat her differently but Tony simply handed her some popcorn and kept his eyes glued to the screen. Steve looked at her tenderly and kissed her forehead. Tony interrupted the cute moment.

"we should go to Disney World. Jarvis book a trip to Disney world for a week. Lets leave on Sunday."

Everyone looked at Tony since he didn't even ask if they wanted to go but decided to not say anything since it would probably be best to let him have his way. They continued watching Disney movies until Bruce realized he was the only one still awake. He turned off the tv and fell asleep in no time. Thor's cries of delight woke them all up. Natasha was up aiming a gun at the kitchen in a second. Thor's smile fell until Natasha lowered her gun and he pointed at the poptarts that were not burnt.

"I have finally made the pop tarts!"

Tony clapped and joined Thor at the kitchen counter.

"So Disney Word, we leave Sunday at 3 so I say we leave the house around noon, we'll be staying for a week. I can promise you my friends it will be a night you will never forget, and maybe if we get crazy some of you may not remember."

Natasha sat down next to Tony grabbing his mug of coffee from him.

"last time you said that to me you nearly blew up one of your houses."

"but you had fun didn't you oh fiery one? You have 3 days to be fully healed so we can go crazy."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed one of the poptarts that Thor was happily offering. Natasha and Tony were bickering as Steve stood behind Natasha with his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. Bruce handed out coffee as he talked with Thor and Clint. They ate their breakfast together. When Pepper Potts walked in she notices how at ease everyone in the room felt. The playful banter filled the room. The ticking time bomb had turned into a real family without even realizing it.


	10. Chapter 10

After breakfast the avengers retreated to their own rooms to get ready for the day. When Steve and Tony walked back into the living room they saw Clint carrying Natasha over his shoulder walking out of the elevator. The scowl on her face was terrifying.

"I told you she would be sneaking of to the gym in the morning."

Natasha landed a kick on Clint's lower back and rolled of his shoulder, landing in a crouch.

"I would've managed to make it if this guy hadn't been waiting out in the gym. I'm fine!"

Clint simply rolled his eyes and rubbed the area where Natasha's foot had landed.

"You know not all of us heal super fast miss Romanoff."

She stuck he tongue out at him and sat on the kitchen counter. Thor and Bruce walked in.

"My friend Stark, what do we need to prepare for this trip to the world of Disney?"

"Now that you mention it point break, we should do some shopping."

"Shopping?"

"we can go spend a ridiculous amount on money on the necessities. I guess since you probably don't have a bank account you can mooch off me."

Thor looked confused but smiled anyways as Tony led them into the elevator and down to the cars. Steve opted for his motorcycle handing Natasha a helmet.

"You know Capsicle, the chances of a fatal accident on a motorcycle are a lot higher than a car."

"will you be driving Stark?"

Tony nodded.

"I think I'll take my chances."

Clint snickered as he got into the car and dragged Thor in with him. Walking around with the entire team seemed to be a problem, they kept getting recognized everywhere they went. Their shopping trip took several hours and Tony had to pay for everything that Thor accidentally broke.

"how about we call it a day. Let's go home…come on little red."

"you know Tony, I don't have red hair right now. Calling me little red doesn't make much sense."

He shrugged his shoulders and got in the car. Steve put the rest of the bags in the car and whispered something to Tony which caused the man to smirk and nod. Steve drove after Tony but then took a different turn.

"Steve, what are you doing, that's the quickest way back to Stark tower."

"we're not going back there yet. Its only 5 and we have the rest of the night to do whatever we want."

Natasha looked confused but continued holding onto Steve. It took over an hour for them to get to their destination and the look on Steve's face brought a smile to Natasha's.

"Coney Island, Bucky brought me here once, he made me ride the cyclone and I threw up all over the place. Hopefully this time things are a little different."

Natasha placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. Steve could feel his cheeks turning red.

"Come on. Cyclone first."

Steve walked up to buy the tickets, smiling at the man in the stand.

"how much?"

"you're captain America! It's on us man, thanks for saving our lives."

"thank you, that's really kind of you."

Steve returned to Natasha and she smiled at him, bringing him to the line. Steve looked alarmed when he realized Natasha had chosen the front car for them to ride. He hands were shaking and sweating while Natasha happily took her seat and pulled Steve in with her. He didn't feel like vomiting after which made him happy.

"let's go win some stuff"

"last time I was here there wasn't a chance in hell I would be able to win anything this is definitely going to be a new experience."

Steve and Natasha both dominated everything they did, they ended up handing out toys to every kid who recognized Steve. It was 8 and dark out when they decided to head home.

"should we get something to eat before we go home?"

"How about some real Brooklyn style pizza?"

"is it any good?"

"Tash, are you serious? You've never had real pizza?"

She shook her head and he put her helmet on her head and drove to his old favorite pizza shop, happy to see it still standing. She waited outside as he ran inside to pick up some pizza and ran back outside with a big smile on his face.

"This is going to blow you away ."

Steve made her take the first bite in front of him. He watched as her eyes went wide and she went in for the next bite right away. They sat on the bike for some time eating their food and enjoying the cool fall air. Their time was interrupted by a group of men who tried and failed to sneak up on them. Three of them went for Steve and the other two decided to try and grab Natasha. It didn't take long for Steve to knock out the men that had gone after him and Natasha knocked out one of them as she held the other against a wall.

"Crap, you're captain America aren't you? And you're the black widow."

Natasha smirked as Steve called S.H.I.E.L.D and in no time there were several agents there to pick up the men.

"It's kind of odd how we can't have a single day of peace."

"We're both part of the avengers, we're super soldiers. We live with Tony Stark, Clint, Bruce and Thor. Hate to break it to you Steve but peaceful just isn't us."

He shrugged his shoulders and got back on the bike with Natasha, making in to Stark tower. When they walked in to their living quarters Tony was standing shirtless on a table spraying whipped cream everywhere as Clint and Thor howled with laughter on the floor. Even Bruce was laughing hysterically. Natasha and Steve just shook their heads and tried and failed to conceal their smiles as they walked into Steve's bedroom completely missing the fact that Natasha's room was fixed and there was no need to share a bedroom anymore. Tony took notice of that but continued to laugh, causing him to step on some whipped cream and slipped off the table bringing everyone to tears. All Natasha and Steve could hear was laughter of their teammates and neither of the minded.


	11. Chapter 11

Tony Stark did not have a death wish. As much as he antagonized everyone he met, including the villains, he had no intention of dying. He started off his Sunday morning with Pepper waking him up as she finished packing his bags.

"Why don't you come with us Peps?"

"Because I have work to do Tony, paperwork that you have neglected to do."

Tony pouted and pulled Pepper into bed with him. Relishing the simple moments he got to spend with her.

"You really do complete me."

Pepper kissed him.

"I love you too Tony. But you have to shower and go eat breakfast. You have to leave for the airport soon."

She had to pry Tony's hands off her to able to continue packing. Tony reluctantly complied with Pepper's orders. When he entered the kitchen he noticed that Natasha and Steve were missing, the two most punctual people he knows. He decided to make sure they were awake. When he opened the door, he was not expecting to see Natasha's bare back. He did not expect to walk in on Natasha and Steve during their alone time. As soon as the door opened Steve looked up to see Tony with his jaw hanging wide open. Natasha turned around and immediately fell off Steve grabbing the covers to try and conceal her body. Steve's face was turning an unnatural shade of red. Tony turned and slammed the door behind him running back out into the kitchen. Tony Stark did not have a death wish, but he was fairly certain today two super heroes would succeed in killing him.

"Stark, are you alright? You're looking kind of…terrified."

Clint looked at the look on Tony's face and then looked behind him to see where he had come from. You could see his brain working and the look on his face showed that he knew what had just happened. He failed at holding back his laughter. His laugh finally started dying down 10 minutes later. However when Natasha and Steve walked into the kitchen not making eye contact with Tony he began to laugh again. Steve had to hold Natasha back as she lunged for Clint. Thor and Bruce looked confused so Clint decided to enlighten them on what happened.

"Stark walked in on Cap and Nat doing that horizontal Tango."

Bruce began choking on his cereal and had to explain what the horizontal tango to Thor and soon his chuckles began to fill the room.

"you didn't see anything Stark."

Tony seemed to be recovering from the initial shock and the fear or being murdered.

"sure I didn't red, you know I figured you would like it on top. Looks like I was correct."

Natasha didn't have to lunge for him, Steve had on the ground with a simple smack. Bruce cleared his throat and stood between Tony and Steve.

"Alright children, we have to leave for the airport soon. No more fighting, don't make me angry."

Natasha glared at Tony and he made faces back at her. Natasha growled at him and he chuckled back. Clint stepped forward and put his arm around Natasha.

"lets go bring your suitcase out killer, we have lots of time left to plan out Tony death."

Tony would normally just ignore the comment but the way Natasha's lips curved worried him. Clint and Natasha walked back out with her and Steve's luggage. Tony's staff came upstairs and picked up all their luggage, bringing it down to the cars that had been waiting for the avengers. They all piled into the limo Tony had picked out. Thor Bruce and Clint sat between Tony and Steve and Natasha, creating a barrier.

"Why don't we enjoy this vacation. Tony apologize to Steve and Natasha, Natasha promise you won't murder Tony."

Tony mumbled his apology and Natasha shot him a scary smile.

"I wont kill you Tony…not yet."

He laughed it off but Bruce noticed Tony move a little closer to Thor.

"So have any of you dear friends been to the land of Disney?"

Tony Clint and Bruce nodded but Natasha and Steve shook their head no.

"Really Tasha, we've been to Florida tons of times. I would have thought you would have been there at least once. It's the happiest place on earth."

"Havent been Barton, all the times we were there I was saving your ass. I recall the first time I got an arrow to the knee cause you were too stubborn to call for backup. The second time you nearly drowned then I almost drowned going after you and then there was the time you thought it would be okay for you to jump off a building and ended up crushing several of my bones when I had to try and catch you. You remember that time when-"

"alright we get it Tash, you haven't been to Disney because of me. No need to go that deep into detail."

She smirked at him and rested her feet on his lap. Tony look questioningly at how casual Natasha and Clint were. His eyes darted to Steve and he noticed that Steve was also looking at Natasha's feet comfortably resting on Clint's lap. He looked Tense but relaxed as soon as Natasha leaned into him. They were able to make it on the plane with only one little kid recognizing them. Thor was easily the most recognizable, even in jeans and a t-shirt. He towered over everyone else. Thankfully Tony had arranged to mjolnir to be allowed onto the plane. It was helpful that Nick Fury approved of the trip. After their last mission Fury believed the Avengers needed a break. They boarded first class which Tony had to buy out in order to ensure that word did not get out that the Avengers would be in Florida. Thor took a look around and realized that's each of his friends were carrying a pillow pet. He had been ready to bed Tony but all he had to do was ask. Tony Stark was a very generous man. Even Natasha was holding on tightly to a lamb pillow pet. She turned around and saw Thor looking at her.

"I can't really remember, but I recall my father calling me his little lamb. It something that has stuck. Even if I can't tell if some of my memories are real I have a feeling that that memory is."

She smiled at him and snuggled into Steve breathing in his scent and falling instantly asleep. Tony looked their way and made sure he was hidden behind Bruce and Thor before he spoke.

"Wow little Red sure is tired, must have done something to really wear her out huh Steve?"

Tony was not expecting both Thor and Bruce to punch his arms. It was obvious that Thor's punch would leave a mark. Steve laughed and put his arm around Natasha, kissing her on the head and falling to sleep. Tony focused his attention on Clint.

"What's the deal you and Nat?"

"What are you talking about Stark?"

"I'm just saying you and her seem very cozy around each other. It's only a matter of time before Steve starts thinking that things are a little odd."

Clint looked over at Natasha and his face turned into something unreadable. The atmosphere turned thick and they all tried to ignore the fact that Clint had nothing to say about what Tony was trying to point out.


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey Peached, Nat, Anastasia, Little Red, Spidey! Tash-"

"WHAT STARK"

"were almost here"

Natasha glared at Tony and began to stretch. Steve was still sleeping next to her and Clint was sitting quietly by himself. He looked troubled so she did what she would always do. She sat next to him and held his hand, she didn't have to say anything. When Steve woke he realized the area on his left had been vacated and he turned to see where Natasha was. He looked down into his lap and tried to push down the feeling in his stomach. Tony tried to get all their attentions.

"we will have the time of our lives. Six grown adults in Disney. I hope it doesn't look too weird, maybe we should steal a kid."

Bruce pulled Tony down and made him sit down before he came up with any stupid ideas. They got off the plane silently, all noticing the tense air. Natasha realized that Steve and Clint were both tense when she was around them. She silently grabbed her luggage and shuffled to the back of the group keeping away from all the men. She climbed into the waiting car and kept to herself for the entire ride to the house Tony had bought just for this occasion. It was 6 by the time they arrived so they decided to get settled in and get some dinner. Natasha realized that she was meant to share a bedroom with Steve. Normally she would be fine with it but the way Steve acted around her had her on high alert. When he walked into the room with Tony they both noticed that Natasha's stuff was there but she was not. Steve looked confused.

"How does she keep doing that? I'm fairly certain that she walked in here and I didn't see her walk out."

Tony nodded her head towards the open window and began walking out.

"fix it captain"

Steve walked over to the window and looked out. Natasha had climbed up, her legs could be seen hanging over the edge of the roof. Instead of climbing up the way she had gone Steve took the simple route and went up the stairs to the roof.

"Hey Natasha"

"Steve"

"whats going on?"

"you tell me"

There was a moment of silence as he sat down next to her. He took a deep breath before he began talking.

"You and Clint"

"what about us"

"He loves you"

"and I love him"

Steve looked up, hurt evident in his eyes.

"I love him more than I can explain, just like how I love Bruce and Thor and sometimes even Tony. They are my family. Clint is special to me, he saved my life. He looked past the bad I had done and he believed that I could be changed. He made me feel for the first time in years. If it were not for Clint Barton I would be dead. But I love you Steve in a different way. You make me feel alive and you give me a reason to fight every day. Clint gave me a chance to live my life, you give me a reason to live it."

Steve took the woman in his arms and kissed her passionately.

"im sorry for being a jerk. However Clint seems to have feelings for you. I just…worry"

"you have no reason to worry Steve, I love you and only love."

He took her hand and led her back to the house, leading them both downstairs to where Tony was paying for the pizza. They ate dinner and the group felt slightly more relaxed. After dinner Natasha followed a sullen Clint to his room.

"hey partner, why the long face"

He simply averted his eyes and laid down in his bed.

"its me isn't it?"

"Tasha, you know me so well you don't even have to ask. I don't want to get back together. I just miss it sometimes"

"I know"

That's all she had to say, they shared a hug. They both understood each other. No one showed that they were surprised when Clint came back downstairs wearing the smile that he was so well known for. Natasha walked down after him and sat on Steve's lap striking up a conversation with Bruce.

"Hey tony"

"Yes my little Russian princess"

She rolled her eyes but a smirk was nearly visible.

"is Universal Studios on the itinerary by any chance"

"yeah, why?"

Natasha turned to look at Clint as his cheeks began to flood with color.

"Clint has a relationship with Harry Potter, I remember one time in Paris he got so drunk and admitted-"

"That is between you, me and a very unfortunate local Tasha. You do not tell Tony"

She giggled and got up to stretch grabbing a hold of Steves hand pulling him towards their bedroom.

"Tony please make sure to knock"

"Tasha please don't keep us up all night, I mean I know you like to be loud but…"

She took a deep breath and kept her composure as she made her way up the stairs. They both landed in the bed without changing.

"You are beautiful"

Her skin flushed and she smiled at him. Natasha curled into him, fitting perfectly. They were both asleep in no time not even bothering to close the door. When Bruce and Tony walked by they couldn't help but look at the couple.

"I call being best man at the wedding"

Bruce shook his head and walked away, but he knew it was only a matter of time before Steve and Natasha took it to the next level.

"come on Tony, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach tomorrow. I'll probably have to be the responsible adult and take care of all you little kids"

"Don't worry, Steve is here and he loves following the rules."

"I wonder if he'll snap and attack someone cause they will say something crude to Tasha."

"We'll probably all snap, poor bastards, they wont know what hits them when they see her in a bathing suit"

Tony chuckled and bid Bruce goodnight making his way into his own bedroom.

* * *

**Reviews are appreciated, i love hearing back from you guys!**


	13. Chapter 13

Thor's booming footsteps could be heard throughout the house. He was running down the halls.

"My friends, wake up! We will be going to a land of water today!"

Thor ran into Steve and Natasha's room and jumped on their bed causing Natasha to nearly fly off the bed. Thor grabbed onto her and pulled her onto his lap, squeezing her tight. Natasha couldn't hold her smile as the Thor squeezed her.

"Nat, Steve, get ready. Our friend Tony says that today will be a great day!"

Thor got up allowing Steve and Natasha to start getting ready but before he could leave the room Natasha climbed onto his back shrieking at Steve.

"KILL IT! STEVE KILL IT!"

Thor looked alarmed and Steve grabbed his shield before realizing that she was pointing to a spider on the wall. Natasha's shriek caught the attention of the other avengers and Tony, Clint and Bruce ran into the room. Clint had his bow and arrows ready. They first noticed Natasha climbing Thor, she now had her legs wrapped around his neck and was holding on to his head. The poor god looked confused. They also saw Steve grabbing a spider and taking it to the window. Tony and Clint were quick to burst into laughter until Natasha gave them an evil glare. She jumped off Thor and looked apologetic.

"Sorry buddy, im just not the biggest fan of spiders."

Thor chuckled and he patted Natasha on the back sending her flying forward as he walked out of the room. Tony was clutching his sides, even Banner was stifling his chuckles.

"The Black Widow is afraid of a little baby spider? That's just gold."

She grabbed a scissor from her suitcase and Tony stepped back.

"Shut up Stark. I'm not going to kill you, I need a haircut. I never cut off the burnt ends from the last battle."

Clint wordlessly grabbed the scissor and led her into the bathroom. Tonys face was beginning to turn a bright shade of red.

"oh god, Tasha is afraid of spiders and Clint is a hairstylist. This day is just becoming to much. Is it possible to burst an organ from laughter cap?"

Steve just shook his head at Tony and ushered him out of the room as he began to change. He was I his boxers when Clint walked out of the bathroom and raised his eyebrow.

"Well Cap, didn't know you wanted to give me a show."

Steve threw a pillow at Clint as the assasins laughter filled the room. The team finished getting ready and got into Tony's new car. Clint pulled up the seats in the back and sat down with Bruce. Natasha and Steve sat in the middle and Tony drove as Thor looked around in the passengers seat. Clint and Natasha were hitting each other and neither Steve nor Bruce could get the two to calm down.

"So the two master assasins become children while on vacation."

Tony laughed, he had expected Natasha to be mature with Bruce and watch over them but as soon as he parked the car Natasha was out the door and Clint jumped over the seats to follow her out. The other 4 men caught up in time to see Clint land a punch on Natasha's arm. Steve instinctively stepped forward but Natasha landed a kick in the balls and she took her towel out of Steve's hand. Tony patted Clint on the back as a sign of sympathy and walked behind Natasha. Thor stood in front of the entrance and looked at Bruce.

"Do Typhoon's often happen on Lagoons?"

"It's just a name Thor, it's a water park."

Thor shrugged and followed Bruce inside. Natasha, Steve and Clint were putting away bags and towels in the lockers. Heads turned when the guys stripped down. When Natasha walked out of the bathroom jaws dropped. Her tiny teal bikini gave Steve the urge to hand her his shirt. He was not used to women flaunting off their bodies. She walked by the men that were openly ogling her grabbed Thor's arm, leading him towards the closest water slide. The lines were not very long, especially since it was a Monday morning in mid fall. As soon as they saw Thor coming out of the ride, they could tell he was enjoying himself. The smile on his face rivaled the smile he had while eating poptarts. The guys opted for going on the water slides while Natasha and Bruce went on the lazy river.

"so you and Rogers?"

Natasha smiled as him and got into her tube, handing Bruce a tube that was passing by her.

"he's a good man, I got lucky"

"youre good too Natasha. Steve is a lucky man."

She blushed and looked down, trying to hide her face.

"Thank you for believing that."

He nodded, knowing that she didn't agree with him. They both began to be swept away by the river. It was several hours later when Natasha's float was suddenly flipped over. When she resurfaced Tony was standing over her laughing. She grabbed him and pushed him underwater until he was blue in the face.

"Hey Bruce, remind m not to mess with Tasha"

"You'll still do it"

Tony looked thoughtful for a second before smirking.

"Come one we're going to Blizzard Beach and then dinner"

Natasha nodded, Tony burst into laughter as she walked out. Her shoulders were red. She had clearly fallen asleep on the river. Bruce was sporting some color as well. Blizzard beach was a success. Everyone but Bruce went on summit plummet. Thor's screams echoes throughout the park causing Tony to chuckle. On their way to the wave pool a seemingly drunk man slapped Natasha's butt, without a single hesitation Clint had the man on the ground, his shoulder giving an ugly snap.

"hey buddy, maybe you should go get that shoulder checked out."

He put his arm around Natasha's waist and led her away.

"you know I could have handled that"

"trust me Tash, I know you could have. However a sexy blonde beating up a big burly man might give away the fact that were not just a group of regular people"

Steve, Bruce, Thor and Tony looked startled when they walked around the corner and saw a man getting off the floor clearly injured. Natasha and Clint were walking away from the man leading them to believe that they were the reason for his injury. They all waddled into the calm water together. As soon as the waves began Steve and Thor began to freak out. Clint and Tony calmed down Thor and Natasha grabbed Steve, explaining the technology. They were able to stay in for an hour before Tony started complaining of hunger. He forced everyone to dry off, get dressed and leave. They piled into the car, with Clint driving. He pulled into a cracker barrel making Natasha's lips quirk.

"cant take the country out of the boy"

They made their way inside. Tony was already dreading how much he would have to shell out to fill Thor and Steve's appetites.


	14. Chapter 14

Dinner consisted of Thor shoving food into his mouth and Tony complaining about the lack of alcohol. As soon as they got home they all instinctively sat on the couch in the same positions that they sat in back in the avenger's tower. Bruce sat on the love seat with a book Tony sat on the end of the couch with his legs sticking out and resting on the arm of Bruce's chair. Thor sat on the other end of the couch, Natasha was squeezed between him and Steve with Clint resting against her legs on the floor. They watched some more Disney movies per Thor's request. Bruce and Clint were the first to go shortly followed by Steve and lastly Tony. Thor and Natasha were bored but not tired. Natasha suddenly smirked and got up, Thor followed her. They left a note and were out the door in a minute.

"Lady Natasha, I wish to know where we are going at midnight."

"we're fairly good friends right Thor?"

"Of course we are Lady Tasha. In fact you and our teammates are some of my dearest friends"

Natasha shared one of her rare soft smiles with Thor.

"Well as friends, I do believe it's perfectly normal for us to go out for some drinks."

She grabbed his arm and dragged him to a small bar.

"Clint and I came here a few years back, its family owned. We were undercover as a newlywed couple. So if they recognize me, the story is that Clint cheated on me and we divorced. You and I are visiting to celebrate 1 year of being together. We should probably change your name, how about Chris?"

Thor looked shocked that she was so sure of herself but he smiled and nodded and followed her inside the bar. As soon as they sat a young man's face lit up as he approached them.

"Natalie! It's so nice to see you once again!"

Natasha got up and hugged the young man.

"Bobby! I can't believe that you remember me"

The young boy waved over the other people working there, the table was soon surrounded. Seems like Natasha had charmed them all the last time she was there.

"Where's your husband? Is Peter somewhere around?"

An older lady eyed Thor suspiciously but was obviously pleased with what she saw. Natasha looked down at her hands and she looked obviously upset. Thor hand immediately rested on Natasha's back, he looked concerned.

"He's not around anymore. I'm afraid we've fallen into the stereotype of young couples, I had to file for divorce 3 years back, only one year of marriage and he-"

She took a convicing deep breath and wiped a tear away from her face.

"He got sick of me, I walked in on him with our new neighbor. We had just bought a new house and we were talking about children but I guess I just wasn't enough."

Thor took a look around an could see that every person there had bought her story and were looking at her with sympathy, the elderly woman had tears in her eyes.

"I honestly thought I would never find love again, but a little over a year ago I met Chris here and he swept me off my feet. We've been dating for exactly a year today."

They received congratulations. Thor smiled causing several women to swoon. The elder woman looked at her husband and smiled.

"Well, drinks are on us. Young man you better treat this beautiful lady like the princess she is. I'll leave you be."

Natasha shot back her drinks like they were nothing. Both Thor and Natasha giggled when she ordered a Sex with the Captain. They both continued to drink, the alcohol was clearly taking effect, more so on Natasha than Thor. Back at the house Tony went downstairs and saw Natasha's note.

Went out with Thor- Nat

They all heard a very audible 'those bastards!' coming from the kitchen and raced downstairs. Steve looked at the clock. 5:47 am. He had noticed that Natasha was not in bed with him and he now noticed that she was not down here either.

"What's wrong Tony?"

Bruce waited for Tony to answer, he was the only one with enough patience to talk to Tony this early in the morning.

"Those bastards went out without me!"

As if on cue, the door burst open and a laughing Thor entered the room with Natasha thrown over his shoulder. She was babbling and laughing. Steve stepped forwards accepting Natasha from Thor and leading them both onto the couch.

"Thor had a sex with the captain!"

Natasha burst into a new round of giggles and Steve turned red. Tony, Clint and Thor all laughed as well. She continued to talk.

"I had a finger me good, remember those Clint?"

Tony was clutching his side laughing and Clint nodded.

"Hard to forget Tash, I mean I am an archer. I have to be good with my fingers."

"I mean the drink you Jackass"

Clint apologized to Steve and sat down laughing at Natasha's pink face.

"Nat, why don't we go to bed? You look like you could use some sleep. You too Thor."

Thor followed Steve and Natasha upstairs, stumbling like a fool. Steve helped Natasha into bed.

"I love you Steve."

"I love you too Natasha, why don't you get some sleep. We can talk in the morning."

She nodded and snuggled into him and fell asleep in no time. Steve stayed awake for the rest of the night making sure that Natasha was alright. It was around noon when Thor let out a roar that awoke Natasha. Steve heard her whisper in an extremely threatening way.

"Unless he wants to die, he better be quiet."

Steve shook his head and got up, allowing Natasha to get up and go shower. When Steve entered the kitchen Tony, Bruce and Clint were all dressed and ready to go while Thor was laying his head on the kitchen counter drinking his coffee. After Natasha walked in and poured herself some coffee Steve took a shower and got ready. Tony looked up at the group once Steve rejoined them and made sure to not speak loudly since Natasha had a knife in her hand to spread jam on her bagel.

"So how about we go to Universal studios today?"

Natasha grunted and Tony took is as a sign of approval and followed Tony into the garage. Bruce drove with Tony in front, Clint and Steve in the middle and Natasha and Thor were sleeping in the back seat. When they arrived Clint forgot about anything else and began trying to pick up all the little lizards on the floor and put them on his teammates. Natasha didn't even bother trying to stop him as she snuggled into Steve's side. He kissed the side of her head causing her to smile and Tony began pretending to gag.

"what will we be seeing in this universe?"

"Its Universal Pikachu, and this is full of stuff like Men in Black and Jaws and Shrek. It also has the Simpsons. I know you'll enjoy that, you were practically glued to the t.v after discovering the Simpsons."

Thor smiled and suddenly hugged Tony lifting him off the group.

"I am enjoying this vacation very much friend Tony, I thank you for inviting me"

"Sure thing Thor-o"

Steve and Natasha stayed linked to each other for the rest of the day. Clint managed to get Natasha away from Steve while he went to buy the group drinks.

"Are we feeling a little touchy today Tasha?"

She glared at him but knew he wouldn't stop until he figured out what was going on. Thor, Bruce and Tony were listening as well.

"Remember a couple years back when we were the once here, at the bar?"

"Yeah, although I do admit the later part of that night is quite fuzzy."

"Do you remember what I was planning on doing around that time."

Clint visibly tensed, his voice went soft.

"Tasha…"

"Don't worry, I'm not considering put a bullet in my brain anymore. But last time I was because I believed that it was the only way for me to be…ok."

Bruce and Tony looked alarmed, Thor had wandered off to help Steve.

"well last night, I remembered all that. But then I realized that I was already ok. I had Steve to go home to, and all of you."

Clint's face softened but he stayed tense. Tony and Bruce eyes Natasha warily and Steve and Thor came back with drinks and a funnel cake for Thor. They both noticed the way Clint's shoulders were tensed and the wary looks Tony and Bruce were giving Natasha. She looked fine.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing Steve, I think that we should go on the mummy next."

Natasha jumped off her seat and took her drink from Steve's hand and began walking forward. Steve was confused but he followed her until he was stopped by a little boy with a Captain America shirt.

"Excuse me sir?"

"Yes son?"

"are you…are you Captain America?"

Steve knelt down to his height and shook his hand.

"yes I am son, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm gonna have to ask you to not tell anyone I'm here."

"I won't I promise. Wow, I never thought I would have a chance to meet you. You're my hero sir! My friend Milton says that iron man is cooler but I know that you are."

Tony walked by at that very moment and snorted, the kid looked up and stared in amazement as Iron Man and Thor walked by next to him.

"Now listen here son, I have to go catch up with my friends but I want you to know that you are doing me a big favor by not telling anyone. You're being my hero."

The kids face lit up and you could tell that Captain had just made his day.

"Thank you!"

Steve saluted the little boy, when the kid ran to catch up with his mother, the smile on his face was bigger than Steve had previously thought was humanly possible. Steve caught up with his friends, smirking when Tony looked his way. After the mummy ride they left the park and stopped by the supermarket to buy some groceries. They allowed Natasha to cook for them. Only tony was slightly worried that Natasha may have poisoned his food. He was half way through his bowl of pasta and chicken when he made a comment that earned him a death glare.

"Natasha, you'll make a good wife one day, and a good mommy."

Clint and Steve both turned to look at Natasha straight away. She didn't show any pain, her eyes flashed with anger at Tony.

"I'll be going to bed now. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning."

Natasha exited the kitchen leaving Clint to glare at Tony.

"I'm going too. Night guys."

Tony tried to figure out what he did wrong but couldn't so he moved on to the next thing on his mind.

"Steve does Tasha seem happy to you?"

"Yeah, I guess, why?"

Bruce shook with head before putting the plates in the dishwasher.

"well she mentioned it earlier while talking to Clint that she had been contemplating offing herself before and as much as I antagonize her, I really do love her."

Steve took the information better than Tony had expected, but he knew what it felt like to be a super soldier, sometimes you need a way out. When Steve made his way to their bedroom he laid down behind Natasha and brought her close to his body. She molded herself to his body, getting as close as possible and falling asleep almost immediately. Steve looked at her and smiled.

"I love you Nat, if only there was a way that I could show you how much."

He kissed the top of her head and fell asleep, holding her tight.

* * *

Reviews and feedback is greatly welcomed!


	15. Chapter 15

The avengers were all woken up by thunder. Thor though he had caused it for a second but soon nodded back to sleep. Tony fell off his bed and promptly fell back asleep on the floor. Bruce did his best to ignore it, putting a pillow over his face to try and block out the sounds. Steve and Natasha snuggled further into each other, only the latter staying awake. Clint however was not awakened by the thunder, he had never gone to sleep. His mind kept wondering to that day a few years back, at the bar with Natasha

She helped him into the house, the large amounts of alcohol obviously not affecting her as much as they affected him. There had been a hollow, painful look in her eyes for the past few months. Not many people could recognize it, but Clint could. Her knew Natasha better than he knew himself. It terrified him to think that someday he could wake up and Natasha would be gone. Not just away from S.H.I.E.L.D, gone from the world. He has seen that look in her eyes before but it never lasted long. The thunder had brought him out of his thoughts enough to take a hot shower and try to shake the bad feeling he had. It was pouring outside. Natasha was already tucked into bed, seemingly asleep. He laid down next to her, enjoying the warmth coming from her body. It was 4 hours later, 2 in the morning when he woke up to see that he was alone in bed. He was fully awake in no time. It could be possible that she had simply gotten up for a glass of water, but theres was something in the back of his head telling him that wasn't the case this time. Getting out of bed, he followed the sound of the rain. The door leading outside was open, he was quick to make his way to the backyard. It was hard to see anything however a quick flash of lighting allowed him to see Natasha on her knees with a gun in his hands. He immediately tensed, thinking that there was someone else here. It didn't take long to realize that the only danger was Natasha. She brought the gun up to her temple, shaking with sobs. He was frozen in place, Clint had never been trained for this. He stood there for what seemed like hours but was probably only several seconds until the gun was slowly lowered to the ground. He ran to her and pulled her into his arms, not letting go. He got phnemonia that night but it didn't matter because Natasha was with him, helping him get better and not letting go.

Clint was brought out of his thoughts by another loud crash of thunder. They seemed to be getting closer. His thoughts went back to Natasha, this time his mind went to the time he thought he was going to be a father.

They were laying on his bed I the hellicarrier. It was one of those rare moments of peace. Clint was lying shirtless on his bed, Natasha was laying with her head on Clint's chest in one of his shirt, his fingers were weaving through her hair. Another agent knocked on the door, when Clint answered he was given the results to their medicals. He opened it for the both of them, knowing Natasha didnt like reading that she was the same as she had been after the last medical. However she wasn't the same, the medical form clearly said pregnant. She was telling him to come back to bed and when he didn't move she walked over to figure out what was going on. The words on the paper clearly caught her by surprise, so did the grin that suddenly appeared on Clint's face. It was the happiest her had ever felt, he was going to be a father. There was no way to describe how Clint was feeling at the moment, he barely realized Natasha had left the room. He followed her out of the room. She clearly didn't care that she was only wearing his shirt. He followed her to the hospital wing and heard her order further examinations. He was confused but stayed with her. He was still in a state of euphoria. It didn't last long though, in the matter of two hours the doctor crushed him when he told him that Natasha was not pregnant. When he heard the doctor say that she would never be able to have children, that was when everything fell apart. His hold on Natasha's hand became loose. She looked up at him to see the pain in his eyes, the disappointment. She would never be able to give him a family, she was the reason he was in pain. That's what she believed, that she would always bring pain. So she got up and walked away, letting his hand fall. He didn't reach for her like he always did.

He thought he was going to be a father but that was taken away from him. The thunder continued to strike and the rain came down heavy on his window. The clock read 9 am but it was still dark outside. Natasha and Bruce were downstairs brewing tea, Steve was showering, Thor was sleeping and Tony was in his room. Natasha went upstairs to bring Clint some tea. She opened his door to find him sitting on the edge of the bed, the sadness was evident on his face. She instantly knew what he was thinking about. Natasha placed the cup of tea on a table and stepped forward. Clint instinctively grabbed onto her, drawing her in. He rested his face on her stomach and stayed there. She felt the material on her shirt begin to soak through. Clint was grieving, she allowed him to continue holding her as she stood there with little emotion in her eyes. Neither of the seemed to notice Tony walking by and stopping at the door, if they did notice which they probably did they didn't show it. It didn't take long for Tony to realize why what he had said the other night had affected the two assasins the way it had. Natasha would never have the chance to be a mother, they had realized that together. The final crash of thunder seemed to shock everyone, it was the loudest and it sounded close. Tony went downstairs, straight to the games cabinet. The rest of the avengers made their way downstairs, Clint managed to look like he hadn't been crying just minutes before. They all noticed the twister mat laying on the floor but only Tony noticed the grateful look Natasha sent his way. He was trying to make them laugh and a game of twister was sure to do that. 30 minutes later Tony and Bruce were out. Thor was shaking and he went down, taking Clint down with him. Only Steve and Natasha remained on the mat in a compromising position. All it took was a comment from Tony to get Steve to fall flat on his back. The look of pain was wiped off Clint's face replaced by a genuine smile. Natasha walked over to Tony and placed her hand on his.

"You're a good man Tony."

He squeezed her hand and winked before kissing her temple. He then got up and complained to Bruce and Steve about their shortage of coffee


	16. Chapter 16

The next few days flew by. Between Thor trying to steal a penguin from the aquarium, Clint breaking into a bird exhibit, Natasha pushing Tony onto an extremely steep water slide and Steve being mesmerized by the bald eagle for nearly an hour, they were exhausted. Their last day was to be spent in the Magic Kingdom. Steve was drinking coffee and Bruce was fixing his tea and some tea for Natasha. Tony came downstairs and got his coffee, followed by Thor and Clint. Natasha came downstairs nearly with her hair back to its original curly red mane. She thanked Bruce for her tea and slip onto Steve's lap. They all finished their morning drinks and Thor ate some pop tarts.

"Avengers assemble! To the car!"

Natasha rolled her eyes but followed Tony anyways. Her red hair was bouncing behind her, the smile on her face lifting the group's energy. They had breakfast at a small café and went straight to Disney world. Thor was obviously the most amused by everything around him, Clint was a close second. Seeing the excitement on Natasha's face was shocking, no one expected Disney to make her that happy. Thor dragged Bruce and Natasha into a small store. Clint, Steve and Tony looked on as Natasha climbed onto Thor's back to reach a Yoda backpack on the top shelf. Clint looked at Steve and tony, both of them looked confused and please at how relaxed and happy Natasha was.

"She's making up for the childhood she never got to have, the childhood that was taken away from her."

The two men thought back on the last few days. Natasha did in fact seem to have released her inner child. At the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Natasha had willingly had a wand fight with Clint in the middle of a crowd of people, she had nearly died of laughter while watching Bruce go on the incredible hulk ride at Universal. It was nice seeing her be happy, something they could all get used to. The ride back to the house was calm. The calm didn't last for long, they had to get everything packed. Steve and Bruce were the only ones that had bothered to pack, they were aware that their flight back was tonight. Natasha and Clint were packed in no time; it was Thor and Tony who were causing the ruckus. Clothes were flying everywhere in Tony's room and Thor was trying to fit all his souvenirs in his bag. They nearly missed their flight. The entire time Clint and Tony annoyed each other, Bruce and Steve talked and Natasha brushed Thor's hair, it was quite an amusing sight. Somehow around the middle of the plane ride Natasha and Tony stole some Hulk gloves that Thor had purchased and began beating each other. Steve and Clint had to pull them apart before Natasha did any real damage. As soon as they stepped into their living room in Stark tower they noticed Nick Fury standing in the middle of the room.

"Avengers, I hope you enjoyed your vacation. Vacation time is over, time for S.H.I.E.L.D medicals, after that I need Agent Barton, Romanoff and Rogers for a mission in Paris."

"Alright Nick, why did you have to come all the way here to tell us that?"

"Refer to me as Director Fury Mr. Stark, and the answer to your question is the fact that agent Barton has a tendency to run away from the medicals, I'm here to bring him in myself, along with the rest of you."

Tony saluted him and threw his arm around Thor, jumping on his back on the ride down to the garage level.

"Agent Romanoff, you will drive Stark, Banner and Thor, I will take Barton and Rogers."

"Yes sir"

"Awww poop Anastasia, you're back in agent mode? I liked you on vacation mode, you were lots more fun"

Natasha rolled her eyes and slid into one of Tony's cars waiting for the men to get in the car, before Tony even closed his door Natasha was speeding off to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. The routine medicals were over quickly and the avengers were back at Avengers tower. Steve, Clint and Natasha were scheduled to leave the next morning.

"Tasha, I'm going out for drinks, you coming?"

"Nah, I think I'm just going to stay in. Be back by 10 Clint."

Clint nodded and dragged Tony out the door with him. Natasha and Steve were cuddled on the couch for the next few hours. Bruce and Thor joined them and began watching a movie, after the second movie the smell of alcohol filled the air, Tony was hanging on to Clint who was clearly not as smashed as Tony.

"Tasha! Why didn't you tell me you and Stark got it on? You got to tell me if the man is all hype."

Natasha was out of her seat in a flash and had Tony cornered.

"You told?"

"Sorry Red, he pulled out the big guns, Kauffman Vodka."

Natasha turned to glare at Clint as he pulled a bottle of the drink in question and handed it over with a sheepish smile. She returned to her seat next to Steve, the living room was suddenly buzzing.

"So Tasha, know what that means? You've slept with half the team, that's an achievement."

Natasha flipped Clint off and opened her vodka, she sipped some and smile.

"This vodka is the only reason you are alive right now Barton. I'm going to go shower and go to bed."

When she was out of the shower Steve was waiting for her in bed. She gladly joined him and they had a few minutes of silence before Steve spoke.

"When were you and Stark…together?"

"Right before his birthday party 2 years back. I was undercover as his assistant and I had to make sure he kept me around. After he learned who I was we decided to keep it between us, only Pepper knew."

He nodded and held onto her, Natasha could tell he was still thinking about it.

"He was my mark, I've had many marks and I've had to sleep with many people. Stark is probably one of my only survivors."

Although Steve had wanted to know, his new knowledge only brought him discomfort. Natasha easily untangled herself from his arms and curled up on her side of the bed. That night was the worst night of sleep either of them had gotten in a while. Natasha and Steve both woke up promptly at 5 am, Natasha got ready and woke Clint up and the three of them went to the roof of Stark tower where the S.H.I.E.L.D jet was waiting for them. Maria Hill held the folder with information on the mission. Natasha and Clint looked at each other; they were still not used to going on missions without Phil. The air was tense and the 12 hour ride to Paris was awkward for everyone on board. They simply had to be dropped off and take down a small mob that had been terrorizing the town. They were informed that civilian casualties may be unavoidable. The people in the mob were cruel and ruthless. Clint looked over at Natasha but he only saw the black widow, ruthless and deadly, ready to kill. Natasha and Steve are an odd couple, Natasha was raised to be a killer, and Steve was born to be a hero. Even though she was saving more lives than she was taking, the black widow took over on missions and didn't care for the lives she took, Steve did his best to spare any lives he could. Clint could see the tense look Steve was sending Natasha. The jet landed and the three Avengers were told to signal when they needed to be picked up. Natasha pulled a gun out and got ready. Taking the lead and storming into the building.

"They're underground, only 3 ways out, this is too easy."

As soon as they entered they realized that civilians were everywhere. Simple people who had no idea what they were really working for. Natasha took a deep breath and headed downstairs. There were only a few men in the hall leading into the big room and she took them down without guns to not alarm the other people. By the time Steve and Clint made it downstairs there were 4 mean lying on the floor dead and one hanging from the ceiling. She nodded to the two men and indicated for them to follow her into the room. It was probably one of the easiest missions any of them had been on, it almost seemed too easy. There wear more than enough people to keep them occupied but they were not well trained. Steve turned around after taking down a group of men; Clint was fighting his own group. It was Natasha that caught his attention, she was not just killing, she was torturing a group of me.

"AGENT ROMANOFF!"

"Yes captain?"

"Stop inflicting torture on these men! It's bad enough that we're ending their lives."

"Killing is easy. Making them suffer is an art"

The group of men seemed to thin out but footsteps could be heard coming down to the lower level.

"Agent Romanoff! Nothing justifies torturing them!"

"They were just bragging about what they did to a little girl and what they wish they could do to me!"

"We're not killers!"

"No. You're not an assassin Steve, I am"

They were in a heated stare down, Clint was caught in the middle when the next group of men arrived. The room filled with smoke for less than a minute but things seemingly went back to normal. The men were taken down and the mission was over.

"That was too easy, there's something not right about this…widow?"

Clint looked around and noticed Natasha was gone.

"Shit. Steve it was a set up, they took Tasha."

The alarm on Steve's face was evident. Clint had to take pity on the man. It was obvious he was about to start panicking and Clint would have to take control.

"We have to get back to S.H.I.E.L.D, figure out where Natasha is and get some backup. If whoever took her is good enough to take Natasha down, we're going to need all the help we can get. Call Agent Hill for pickup, I'll get Stark on the phone… Snap out of it, that's an order captain."

Steve was talking to Maria Hill and Clint had Tony on the phone.

"Hey bird brain, mission over already? How are you and the lovebirds?"

"They took Natasha, Steve are going back for re-enforcements. Start trying to find a way to locate Tasha."

Bruce and Thor must have been listening because Thor's yell rang through the phone loud and clearly.

"Got it Barton. It's safe to say we're all going to be on the rescue team. I'll get on it."

As soon as Clint hung up the S.H.I.E.L.D jet arrived. Back in New York Tony and Bruce were doing everything in their power to find Natasha and bring her home.

**Natasha P.O.V**

She was furious. Steve was taking his anger out on her. All she wanted to do was get back to Stark tower and lock herself in her own room. Better yet maybe stay at her old place in the S.H.I.E.L.D building for a while. The people here had been easy enough to get rid of.

The room went dark for a moment but she continued to fight. She was preoccupied with the people in front of her. She didn't notice the person lurking behind her before it was too late. Not many people were actually capable of sneaking up on her, in fact there was only one person who could do it. She felt a needle break her skin and the world went blank.

When she woke up there was no battle going on, Clint and Steve were nowhere to be found. Her wrists were tied around a metal pole and she was no longer wearing her cat suit. It was cold and dark in the room but there was enough light seeping into the room to expose who was standing in front of her. Dark eyes were staring straight at her, eyes that she would recognize anywhere.

"Alexei"

* * *

Clint and Steve stormed into the Avengers towers, obviously furious. Bruce and Tony were in the living room, with screens all around them. Thor could be heard smashing 13 floors down in the gym.

"Any news on where she is?"

"still no sign of her. What did Fury say?"

"They wont help us get her back, said its too risky and he doesn't want to lose some of his best agents."

"Well then I guess the avengers are doing this alone. No way in hell I'm leaving little red behind"

Steve stormed downstairs, probably to join Thor in the gym.

Natasha P.O.V

The cold was numbing but she could still feel the pain of every time her back was whipped, every time they touched her. She was drugged, everything looked terrifying.

"So my lovely wife, do you feel like talking now?"

"I'm not your wife."

"yes you are honey."

"if that's the case, I want a divorce."

Alexei chuckled and leaned against a wall in front of her.

"we'd make a great team Natalia, the Red Guardian and the Black Widow."

She snarled and looked away.

"So, I heard you've been cheating on me. Who is it with, Tony Stark? That Hawkeye? The super soldier? I heard you and Captain America arguing like a married couple, you know I don't really take kindly on cheating."

He nodded to one of the men standing behind Natasha and she was whipped once again, the blood on her back was gushing. Natasha kept her mouth closed and her face straight.

"You know Natalia, it seems your little team mates are not coming for you, it's been 4 days since I brought you here and there's no sign of them, looks like you're still not loved."

She was whipped several more times and her ankles were broken, that was when Alexei left. The men stayed round torturing her, stabbing her, taking advantage. One of them made a grave mistake, as they got off her they didn't notice Natasha taking a cell phone out of their pocket. She could have laughed at how careless they were. Once they were outside Natasha began programming the phone to allow her to call Tony.

Avengers Tower

"Mister Stark, the results for the medicals have arrived, would you like me to read them out loud."

"Yeah Jarvis, read them to the rest of the Avengers as well. Just give an overview, I'm kind of busy"

"Everything is normal for Mr. Banner, Rogers, Barton and Odinson, as well as for yourself. However miss Romanoff is with child and must go in for further testing.."

Tony choked on his coffee, Banner turned a little green and you could hear Steve demolish a wall 13 floors down. It had been over a week since Natasha had been taken and still no sign of her. It was later that night when Tony got a phone call. The rest of the guys were in their own room, probably still awake and thinking of Natasha.

"what?"

"Tony!"

He could hear the relief in her voice, but she sounded tired and weak.

"Nat? is that you?"

"start tracking the call Stark, I want to go home. It's the Alexei…the Red Guardian. I don't think I can hold on much longer."

"We've been looking for you, just hold on a little while longer honey. We'll come get you and bring you home."

"When you do bring me clothes and food, and a big first aid kit."

"Of course honey, we're zoning in on Siberia. It'll be another minute and we'll be on our way."

"There's guards everywhere Tony. Please hurry."

He heard her choke back a sob and his heart broke.

"Got it honey, do you want me to stay on the phone?"

"No it's okay. Just come."

"On our way."

She was gone and Tony way yelling.

"EVERYONE SUIT UP, WERE BRINGING TASHA HOME!"

Everyone was out of their rooms and ready for battle in less than a minute. Tony was holding a bag for Natasha. They went up to the roof where they had a Stark jet waiting for them. Thor's anger was causing him to create some thunder. Tony had to put on a movie to try and distract him before he cause damage to the plane. They made it to Siberia in record time and it didn't take Tony long to track down an old abandoned shed. It was surrounded by dozens of armed men. The only thing that the Avengers cared about was the girl they believed to be inside.


	17. Chapter 17

The men were easy enough to get rid of, especially since the hulk and Thor got to them before anyone else could move. By the time Tony, Clint and Steve made it to the shed there were only a handful of men left. All of the men entered the shed to find Natasha slumped against a metal pole, her red hair hanging limp covering her face. She wasn't moving. Tony lit up the room and Steve stepped forward.

"Tasha?"

No response

"Natasha"

She looked up, eyes sunken in and dark. They were droopy. The hulk was gone and Banner stepped forward.

"She's drugged, we need to get her out of here."

Tony untied her wrist, both of them seemingly broken. Steve scooped her up, she whimpered and tried to get out.

"Its me Tasha, its Steve."

Clint slipped off Steve's mask and let Natasha see that it really was Steve.

"my back"

He noticed it was dripping with blood. He repositioned her so that her back would not be touched and followed Tony and Clint out of the shed towards the hidden Stark jet.

"Tony?"

"yeah little red?"

"thanks for coming"

Steve brushed her hair with his fingers and kissed her forehead, holding her close. As soon as they got on the jet Bruce started to sterilize her back and patch her up.

"We need to get her to a hospital."

"Take the jet to London bird boy, I donated a crap load of money to a hospital and they are still groveling, probably won't mind giving Tasha the best care."

Steve was feeding Natasha and helping her drink her water. Bruce was doing anything he could do to alleviate the pain. Even though Natasha would never admit it, the pain she was in was probably excruciating. Thor sat across from them thinking up of ways to entertain Natasha when they got home.

"just hang in there little red"

"I have to, I still haven't made Steve's life miserable for being unprofessional and taking out his aggression on me during our last mission"

Steve chuckled, he took a deep breath, it felt like it was the first time he could truly breathe since Natasha had been taken. Tony had been right when he said the hospital would give Natasha the best care. She had been taken in right away and the group had been allowed into her room as soon as she was out of surgery. Steve was lying in bed with her. Thor was sitting in the floor and Clint was sitting on the foot of the bed with Bruce, Tony was looking around the room thinking of all the things that could be improved. When the doctor came in he explained what Natasha's injuries were.

"We had to stitch up your back quite a bit because of the gashes, both wrists and both ankles were broken but they are healing at an impressive rate. There are many laserations all over your body, there was also some internal bleeding, you have a concussion. Your right femur was completely shattered and you had some bruised ribs. You very narrowly missed puncturing your lung. You also have a broken collarbone and there were several indications of rape. You are also malnourished and dehydrated. To be honest miss Romanoff you are lucky to be alive and although you are healing at an incredible rate I still recommend at least 3 weeks of bed rest. However what I find the most shocking and what I believe that you will be happy to hear is that your baby is fine. We took an ultrasound and ran some test, congratulations."

Natasha looked like a fish out of water, her eyes wide. She looked up at Steve and he nodded.

"medicals came back. Its all up to you now Tasha."

She knew he meant it but she could see the desire in his eyes.

"It's just a lot to take in…dad"

The look on his face and the smile that spread was comical. Natasha looked down at Clint and he sent her a meaningful look paired with a grin that only he could pull off.

"I call teaching the kid archery."

She rolled her eyes and was told that she had to stay overnight. She had expected Tony and company to leave for a hotel, she looked confused when Clint helped the hospital staff bring in 5 cots to stuff into the room.

"You don't think were gonna leave you do you little red, we just got you back. You're gonna be sick of us in no time."

Natasha rolled her eyes but Tony could see the smile tugging on her lips and the tear that escaped her eyes. Steve walked up to her and brushed the hair out of her face.

"You can sleep now tasha, youre safe."

She smiled and was out like a light, the exhaustion finally taking over. When she woke up again the avengers were crowded around her waiting for her to wake up.

"up and at em' princess, get ready and lets go home! Clint promised to make waffles"

Natasha smiled and looked to Steve to help her, she wasn't going to be very useful for some time. He gladly took her in his arms and carried her to the bathroom where he helped her get dressed and brush her teeth.

"as soon as we get home I want to shower and put on comfy fluffy warm pajamas."

"your wish is my command Nat."

She looked down at the clothes she had been informed that Tony had chosen. An iron man t-shirt and Hulk pants paired with Thor slippers and a Hawkeye sweater. Steve hadn't failed to notice that she also had captain America underwear.

"You know Stark, your sense of style is really unmatched."

He shamelessly winked at her and started spinning around in what seemed to be her wheelchair which had been decked out in a bright red and gold fuzzy iron man throw cover and a big pillow. Steve set her in the chair and Thor happily pushed her down the hallway, she signed out as Tony left a big check as a thanks and for 'renovations'. Natasha actually fell asleep as they boarded the jet again and didn't even move until the landed on the roof of Avengers tower. Thor carried her downstairs and Steve helped her shower and get clean. When he carried her to the living room Tony was passed out on the couch and Bruce was nodding off as Thor taught Clint the dance moves to Jai Ho. Natasha looked up at Steve for an explination.

"Thor was so angry on the plane ride to Siberia that he was causing thunder so Tony played Slumdog Millionaire, Thor fell in love. Tony hasn't slept at all trying to find you, I think he's been living on coffee and Bruce hasn't been far behind."

Natasha's face softened as Steve set her down on the couch and went to the kitchen to make her some tea and soup.

"Barton, I think you need to pop your hip a little more, bounce that tooshie..there you go"

Natasha's laughter filled the room, it warmed all their hearts. Clint did as he was told and Thor and Clint continued to dance even thought they were tired simply because Natasha's laughter was worth it.


	18. Chapter 18

To say that the three weeks of bed rest made Natasha restless may just be the biggest understatement ever. Tony walked into the living room to find Natasha laying on her stomach on the couch with a pillow over her head. He could practically smell the anger radiating from her.

"You had any breakfast yet Tasha?"

She grunted.

"I'll take that as a no, pancakes?"

Another happier sounded grunt came from Natasha. Bruce walked in just in time and he took over the cooking, knowing that Tony cooking would most likely end in a fire. Tony sat on the floor in front of Natasha and began talking to her stomach. The avengers had started doing that and although she looked annoyed, none of them missed the quirk of her lips.

"you know Tony jr-"

That earned an eye roll.

"I really hope youre not as bitter and dramatic as your mommy cause two people moping around would be a serious pain in the ass"

Natasha turned her head so her face was visible and glared at Tony.

"wheres Steve?"

"took bird boy out to get some groceries, should be back soon. Shouldn't you be in a better mood, today is your last day of bed rest. As long as Banner says your okay it's all good."

"I don't see why he doesn't just do the check up now, itll save you guys from hearing a whole lot of whining."

Bruce set a plate of pancakes down infront of her and left the room, he re entered several minutes later with a medical kit and Natasha's face lit up.

"Bruce I love you so much."

"Should I be worried? I thought you loved me."

Bruce and Natasha turned to see a smiling Steve enter the room followed by Clint, Steve was carrying all the bags as Clint sipped on his coffee.

"Nope, I just keep you around for your body."

"Good to know."

Steve kissed the top of Natasha's head and Clint handed her a drink. Bruce continued to test Natasha as Steve settled comfortably onto the couch next to Natasha and ate one of her pancakes. Clint handed a coffee to Thor who had just entered the room.

"Well Tasha, looks to me that you are all good, just take it easy."

Natasha practically flew off the couch and into Steve's bedroom before re emerging and dragging Steve into the elevator.

"where are we going Nat?"

"I have been sitting on the couch for 3 weeks, I want to walk around, enjoy the cold air and do anything I want. Plus I my birthday is in a few days so I get to buy myself a present."

Steve smiled and put his arm around Natasha's shoulders and pulled her in close. He had already gotten Natasha's birthday present. He was worried that it would seem rushed, but considering they were having a baby together and that he loved her that much, he figured he might be okay. They spent the rest of the day outdoor until it started dipping in the low 30's around 9 and Natasha started getting tired. When they walked inside Clint was lying upside down on Natasha's 'nest' of blankets that she had built over the past few weeks. A few days later Natasha woke up to see Thor stairing down at her.

"Hey Thor…can I help you with something?"

"Indeed dear Natasha please follow me."

He didn't even give her time to change, she walked out into the living room in one of Steve's shirts. She was bombarded with the smell of waffles and ice cream filling her nose.

"Happy birthday lady Tasha."

"Thank you Thor."

Natasha sat on the kitchen counter and happily accepted her waffles from Clint as well as a small box. Her jaw dropped when she opened it. The very first thing she had been given when she joined S.H.I.E.L.D was a watch. Clint had given her his own watch after he witnessed her having an episode and believing she was back at Red Room. He thought she needed something she could look at and remember that she was free so he took off his watch and handed it to her without a second thought. That watch had been destroyed during their first mission together in Budapest. In the box was an exact replica of the silver watch.

"Barton…"

She was speechless.

"love you too Romanoff, now eat your damn food before the ice cream melts, I spent a lot of time on those waffles I don't want them to get all soggy."

She nodded and dug. Thor set down a big bag next to her and smiled, he was follow by Bruce with a beautifully wrapped box and Tony simply sat down and smirked. Once Natasha finished her breakfast she was urged to open presents. Thor gave her a bottle of asgardian alcohol for "after she had Tony jr", Tony got smacked for that, and a baby lamb stuffed animal made of the best asgard had to offer. Natasha thanked him and he hugged her as she opened Bruce's present. The most beautiful ballet shoes she had ever seen, they left her speechless.

"No more bloody feet, I've been working on the materials for a while now. They wont be nearly as painful."

"Thank you so much Bruce, this is…incredible."

He smiled shyly and a blush spread across his cheeks. Tony got up from his seat and motioned for Natasha to follow him. She followed him down to the gym, she immediately noticed a door that had not been there before, Tony motioned for her to open it. Inside was her own personal ballet studio, equipt with everything she could possibly need. She turned to look at Tony and could see he was scared and looking for approval. He certainly got it, she flung herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you Tony"

He smiled a genuine smile and kissed the top of her head.

"No problem princess. Now come on, Capsicle insists that we spend the day out. Go shower and get your cute butt into something warm."

Natasha didn't even bother glaring at him, she simply went upstairs and did as told. When she came outside the rest of the avengers were standing around the kitchen table arguing.

"whats going on?"

Clint turned around looking slightly guilty with a glass in his hand and Thor's birthday present to Natasha behind him.

"Tony told me to do it!"

Natasha rolled her eyes and then winked at Clint, a nearly evil smirk gracing her lips which makes Clint go pale.

"so where are we going?"

"we're going to go see avenue q, then lunch, then the aquarium and then dinner and then you and the star spangled man get some time alone cause as hot as it was I don't feel like watching you two go at it."

"Tony, I swore I wouldn't kill anyone on my birthday but I might make an exception for you and Clint."

He winked and followed Steve and Thor out the door, Clint was hot on Tony's heels and Bruce offered his arm to Natasha. The two had a very odd friendship, infact everyone else thought they were the least close in the avengers. However Natasha and Bruce were extremely close, they didn't need any big shows to prove it. Natasha and Bruce could sit in perfect silence for hours and not be uncomfortable. They had actual discussions and they would always be there for each other to offer a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on. They walked into the garage, Bruce drove the car and Natasha and Steve took the motorcycle. The show went on for quite some time, Steve and Thor seemed to not understand some things, what they did understand made Steve blush and Thor howl with laughter. The other four avengers were in tears, the show had definetly been a success. Tony nearly fell out of his seat laughing several times and Natasha was holding onto her stomach trying to contain her laughter. They left the theater slightly lightheaded from laughing.

"I think that was the most I've laughed since Clint had to dress in drag and work at a strip club in Rio."

They all turned to look at Clint, he mearly shrugged and smirked before moving forward.

"I rocked those heels."

Natasha snickered and looked at Tony.

"Lunch time?"

He nodded and climbed into the passangers seat of his car. They ate at a small secluded asian place and spent the rest of the day at the aquarium. Tony and Bruce stayed close to Thor making sure that he didn't do anything to get in trouble and Natasha and Steve watched Clint. They had dinner and Steve drove to Brooklyn while the other avengers went back home. Natasha didn't protest as Steve led her into an old abandoned building or when she had to walk up 17 flights of stairs. She was glad she hadn't put up any problems when they reached the roof. There was a blanket laid out with twinkly lights all over the place. The stars were perfectly visible which was hard to believe considering they were in New York.

"Steve…this is amazing"

"You deserve it Tasha, happy birthday. Bucky and I used to sneak away from the orphanage and come here. It was like nothing could touch us up here, we were invincible."

Natasha grabbed Steve's hand and pulled him down with her, both of them laid down and watched the stars for what seemed like eternity. Suddenly little white snowflakes started coming down and the smile on Natasha's face intensified. She stood up, looked up and closed her eyes, letting them hit her face. When she opened her eyes again and looked down Steve was looking up at her on one knee.

"Natasha, Ive been gone for a long time. I'm a man out of time, I blinked and the whole world left me behind. Everyone I knew is gone, my home was gone. Or at least I thought it was, turns out I've found a new home, with you. You make me feel like I'm meant to be here. You bring out the best in me, you make me happy and frankly without you I don't think I would still be here. Hell there would be no reason for me to be here, there is no tomorrow without you. So please do me the honor of being my wife. I know this is soon and might seemed rush but I know that life is full of uncertainty. We could all be gone tomorrow, I just know I want to spend every today I have with you."

He looked like he could go on for a while longer so Natasha got down on her knees and kissed him.

"absolutely yes Steve. I love you."

He took a little black box out of his pocket and opened it showing Natasha a beautiful diamond ring that just happened to match her watch perfectly, as well as her new ballet slippers. But at that moment nothing else matter. It was just her and Steve as they hugged surrounded by the stars and the fluttering snowflakes.

"Should we go home?"

Steve hummed in comfirmation and picked up the blanket wrapping it around Natasha.

"Should we tell the group? Maybe we should wait until after Tony jr- the baby is born"

Steve laughed at Natasha's slip up as they made their way downstairs.

"I guess."

"Its not that I don't want them to know, I just want Tony to have as little time as possible to register the fact that were getting married, that way he'll have less take to make a big fiasco out of everything."

"Pretty and smart"

Natasha chuckled as she sat on the bike behind Steve and snuggled into him, holding on tight.

* * *

oh gosh you guys had such a positive response to Natasha being pregnant, you're totally gonna hate me!


	19. Chapter 19

Natasha and Steve had been hiding the engagement for a little over two month now. Natasha's tummy was starting to grow. Steve and Clint left for a mission several days ago, they were set to arrive tomorrow I the afternoon. Thor had gone to visit Jane nearly a month ago. Natasha was currently laying on the couch in Bruce's lab completely asleep. She didn't like sleeping alone because she was afraid someone would catch her off guard. She felt better knowing there was someone she could trust around. And unlike Tony Bruce didn't make many explosions so it was calming to be in his lab. Tony burst into the room but as soon as he saw Natasha curled up on the couch he started tip toeing towards Bruce.

"I have a problem"

"what is it Tony?"

"I'm bored"

"what do you want me to do about that Tony?"

"entertain me, come on, lets go watch a movie. Lets go play in the snow. Lets take over the world, anything!"

Bruce rolled his eyes and walked over to Natasha gently shaking her.

"We're going upstairs to take over the world, you wanna come along?"

Natasha smiled and nodded stretching and following Tony upstairs into their living room where she curled up on the couch once again rested her head on Bruce's lap and falling back asleep. To be honest she was starting to worry the guys, she was sleeping practically all day which was off for Natasha and she seemed to be tired all the time. Tony directed Jarvis to start playing a movie and he soon fell asleep as well leaving Bruce alone. It was only 11 when they all decided to go to bed. When Natasha got off the couch she almost doubled over clutching her stomach, both Bruce and Tony were by her side in a heartbeat.

"relax guys, its all good. I just had a tab bit too much food today, its not sitting well."

Both of them looked weary but soon left her in her in Steve's room that had become Steve and Natasha's room, and left to their own bedrooms. For the next few hours Natasha laid in bed awake, her entire abdomen was cramping up. It was around 3 in the morning when Natasha got out of bed and raced to the bathroom. She knew something was wrong, she was only four months along. She looked down to the trail of blood she was leaving behind.

"BRUCE!"

Her voice cracked and wasn't strong at all, the pain was too much.

"Jarvis!"

"yes miss Romanoff."

"Call Bruce! Wake him up, tell him its an emergency!"

Moments later she could hear someone sprinting down the hallway. Tony would be awake as well. Bruce burst into her room and found her bed empty with spots of blood on it. The blood trailed into the bathroom.

"Natasha? Are you in there? Jarvis unlock the door please."

Tony burst into the room and saw the blood. The door into the bathroom opened to show Natasha in one of Steve's white t-shirt which was now soaked in blood. She was sitting on the floor in a puddle of her own blood crying and clutching her stomach.

"It hurts."

Bruce knew that Natasha was well aware of what was happening, he could also tell that she was in a lot more pain that she would admit to. He also knew she would not want to go to the hospital.

"Tony go bring some bleach, towels, water and pain killers. And warm water."

Tony didn't need to be told twice. He could hear Natasha screaming from the kitchen and it broke his heart. He brought Bruce what he asked for and sat outside the bathroom leaning against the door for several hours. Natasha's sobs and screams of pain rang clearly through the door. At about 10 in the morning he heard the shower come on and Bruce telling him to get Natasha a fresh shirt. Instead of walking over to the drawers he simply pulled the shirt he was wearing off his back and handed it to Bruce, it would at least be warm. Once the shower stopped Bruce walked out of the bathroom soaking wet, he was probably holding Natasha up in the shower.

"She needs to sleep, I gave her some heavy pain killers so she should be a little woozy. She sleeps better when tehres someone around, can you take her to your room?"

Tony nodded and picked Natasha up from her seat on the sink and carried her to his room, he didn't miss the plastic bag in the corner of the bathroom but he looked away as soon as possible. The smell of bleach soon filled the air and Tony called someone to clean up. It was not even three hours later when Clint and Steve arrived at the tower with smiles on their faces. The smell of bleach and the cleaning crew moving around in Steve's room instantly caught their attention. Bruce was sitting in the bar area with his head in his hands.

"Bruce? Whats going on, wheres Tasha?"

Bruce looked up to meet the eyes of two worries men.

"She's in bed with Stark"

Steve's eyes shifted from those of curiosity and worry to furious in mere seconds. Clint's jaw popped opene.

"Not like that Steve…something happened."

Steve and Clint walked over to Steve's room. The blood was the first thing they noticed before they were running towards Tony's room. Bruce blocked their way before they could enter.

"Don't go running in there yelling. Natasha needs to rest, I put her on heavy enough medication that she shouldn't wake up if you go in…silently."

"Bruce, will you please just tell me what's going on?"

"I'm so sorry Steve, im sorry for your loss."

His mind processed the blood and Bruce's words. It didn't take long to figure out what was going on. His face broke, Clint's eyes were dark. The three men entered Tony's room to see him with dark circles under his eyes laying awake stroking Natasha's hair as she slept with her face on his chest. Tony allowed Steve to take his place and silently the other three members of the avengers left the room. They all sat in silence at the kitchen table. When Natasha woke up she looked up to see Steve with tears streaks on his face looking down at her. Her voice was cracked and broken.

"Steve…im so, so sorry"

He didn't answer he just pulled her back into him and allowed her to cry. Her face was bright red and her eyes were swollen. Her hands instinctively flew down to her stomach which no longer held their baby.

"im sorry, im sorry, im so sorry'

She was hiccupping and sobbing. Steve was at a loss for words he could barely choke back his own sob.

"I was made to kill, not give life. This is all my fault. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry."

Natasha continued to apologize and Steve continued to hold her tight, trying and failing to calm her down. From the living room the other avengers could hear Natasha's chocked sobs and her cracking voice apologizing. Each apology further solidified the pain in everyone around her.

* * *

**after the feedback i got for the baby i genuinely felt bad knowing this was in the future, but a child is not something that would easily fit into the superhero lifestyle. Please review and send ideas my way.**


	20. Chapter 20

The first thing Thor noticed when he walked into the living quarters of the avengers tower was the silence. No matter what it was never completely silent. Especially if Tony or Clint were home. He was unaware of what had happened only a week before. He noticed Bruce walking out of the kitchen with Natasha's favorite tea mug in his hands.

"Banner, what has happened. Home has never been this quiet."

"Thor, there's been an incident. Natasha is no longer pregnant, the black widow program made sure that she could never have children. We thought she was a special case since she was pregnant for 4 months but it turns out she wasn't. Natasha hasn't been herself, she believes it to be her fault. We're all…mourning I guess you could say, and trying to give Natasha some peace and quiet. We're just hoping she will be alright"

Thor nodded his head in understanding .

"how is Rogers?"

"He's coping, obviously he's not okay but it seems like his grieving process is going better than Natasha's"

Thor nodded and looked up in alarm as they were joined in the kitchen by the man in question. He looked up and began to say Thor's name but he was pulled into a back breaking bear hug that knocked the wind out of him.

"Steve, I am deeply remorseful for your loss. I assure you I shall be here for whatever you need."

"Thank you very much Thor, I appreciate it. Welcome home, why don't you go get settled and ill make you some coffee."

Thor nodded and left the room. As he passed Natasha's room he saw her. She was sitting on a chair in front of the window. Her forehead leaning against the glass. Her skin was pale, her eyes were sunken in and dark. The dark circles under her eyes showed that she had not been sleeping. She looked like she was mearly a shell. Like there was no one there, only a body. Thor shook his head as he walked into his room, dropping his bags on the floor and walking back into the kitchen to find that Tony and Clint had joined the other two men. There was a cup of coffee waiting for him, the other four men each had their own mugs. Thor was informed of how each of the men had tried and failed to communicate with Natasha. Bruce would leave her tea on her bedside table every morning and Steve would return the full cup every night. Clint would sing in Russian outside her bedroom. Tony would work on weapons for her and blast her favorite music throughout the tower. Steve was doing anything he possibly could. She was like a zombie, Steve had to force her to eat, he showered with her practically dragging her along. They sat in silence only being interrupted by Jarvis's voice.

"Mr. Barton, Ms. Morse is waiting down in the lobby. Sha'll I send her up."

Before Clint could answer the sound of a chair being knocked over and someone running alerted them all. The sound of the shower running made Clint begin to chuckle. Steve looked confused, as did the other men. They were all elated that Natasha was moving around but still confused.

"Of course, all we needed was Bobbi's precense to get Natasha up."

Stve looked at Clint for an explination.

"Tasha has never exactly been fond of Bobbi, actually to be honest she hates her guts, wants her dead."

Steve still looked confuse. Clint told Jarvis to send her up and in mere minutes Natasha was running into the kitchen in shorts and a sports bra, a shirt in her hand. Her hair was dripping wet all over the floor. She barely managed to get her shirt on when Bobbi appeared. She slipped on a puddle on the floor causing Natasha to smirk. Bobbi balanced herself and didn't fail to notice that Natasha had placed herself right next to Clint, directly in his personal space. She introduced herself to everyone and asked Clint to speak in private but she never took her eyes of Natasha. There was a synicle smirk playing on Natasha's lips, her eyes were warning Bobbi. She was giving off a vibe that cause everyones hairs to stand on end. Bobbi didn't even take her eyes off Natasha as she was led out of the room by Clint. Natasha continued to smirk until Bobbi was in Clint's room. Steve, Tony and Bruce were stairing at her with wide eyes and Thor had a giant smile on his face.

"Natasha, it is great to see you."

"Oh hi Thor, I didn't notice you were home."

He stood from his seat and pulled her into a hug, much softer than the one he gave Steve but it still made Natasha feel warm. Thor's hug was followed by a hug from Steve, a much more intimate hug.

"You gonna be okay?"

Natasha looked up at him and then looked at Bruce and Tony smacking eachother and Thor playfully smacking them both causing them to fall off their chairs.

"Yeah, it hurts but I already have 4 other kids to take care of."

Steve gave her a kind smile and kissed the top of her head.

"So Red whats with you and boobies- I mean blondie."

"Agent Morse has never been my favorite person and she never will be."

"Well obviously Red, the favorite person slot has been filled by me, but why?"

Natasha rolled her eyes before taking a seat on the kitchen counter and answering.

"She has been after Clint for as long as I can remember, even while he was mine. He deserves so much better."

As soon as she said that a stoic faced Clint walked out of the room followed by Bobbi. Bruce walked out of the room to stay away from any drama that might happen.

"Why don't you just let yourself out Bobbi."

"Are you sure you don't wanna walk me down Clint?"

Natasha looked at them, a mischievious smirk on her face.

"I'll accompany you."

"Oh that's not necessary agent Romanoff"

Natasha simply smiled and dragged the blonde into the elevator with her. Clint slumped down into his seat and rubbed his face with his hand, he was clearly irritated. Tony poured him a drink and he nursed it for a couple minutes before her spoke up.

"This is normally the part where I would follow those two to make sure Tasha doesn't kill her, but this chair seems pretty comfty. Jarvis pull up the cameras that show Natasha and agent Morse."

"Of course sir."

The video showed Natasha on her way back up with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"you know Katniss, Capsicle, I don't know how you too didn't fear for your lives when you slept with her. She could kill you in your sleep.

"Nah, she actually likes us. It's you who should be afraid iron ass."

The elevator rang and Natasha walked in, Bruce also joined them in the kitchen just in time to see Thor poke Tony's bottom claiming he was curious if his 'behind was truly constructed of iron'.

"Hey Tash?"

"Yes Clinton?"

"There's a tad bit on blood on your hand."

Steve hopped out of his seat and immediately went over to inspect them. Her knuckled were stained red and they were swelling.

"Agent Morse ran into my fist repeatedly"

"Tash…"

"She said I looked fat."

Everyone knew that the thing that had actually angered Natasha was that Bobbi was not aware of the reason for Natasha's weight gain. Bruce chose that moment to change the subject.

"Director Fury just called, we leave in two week for a mission in Vegas."

Tony cheered and Thor smiled at his friend.

"Agent Hill will be over with the files first thing tomorrow morning."

Tony continued to celebrate as Steve began making lunch for the group. Natasha stood behind Clint and rested her head on his shoulder, pressing her cheek against his and giving him the comfort he needed after being around Bobbi. During lunch Natasha had to separate Clint and Tony since they were throwing food at each other. Somewhere between picking mushrooms from Thor's plate when he wasn't looking and having a carrot accidentally flung at her by Bruce Natasha realized she already had a family. A highly dysfunctional, insane family, but a family she wouldn't change for the world.

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maybe it wasn't obvious but this was totally a filler chapter, i need ideas guys!


	21. Chapter 21

"Where's Tasha?"

"I don't know, I'm not the one sleeping with her capsicle, shouldn't you know?"

Steve rolled his eyes and politely asked Jarvis for his fiancées whereabouts.

"She is in the gym just like the last times you have asked over the last two weeks mister Rogers, would you like me to request here presence?"

"No thanks Jarvis. Thank you"

"You are very welcome Mr. Rogers."

"You know Capsicle, I'm starting to think Jarvis has got a thing for you."

Steve rolled his eyes and began making coffee for himself and Tony.

"Anastasia has been practically living in the gym."

"She wants to be back in shape for the next mission."

The group was scheduled to be dropped off on the outskirts of Vegas for a ballet show. It seemed like an odd place for a mission until they learned that it was just a cover up for a weapon smuggling plan being led by an English woman. Clint was supposed to escort the newest ballerina Natasha who would be known as 'Natalia Kozlov'. From there he was to get close to their target, Natasha had teased him for having to do the seducing. All he had to do was get flash drive that held all the information. The rest of the Avengers were going in as precautions. Natasha had spent countless hours in the gym over the past few weeks and it was effective. The super soldier serum she was injected with seemed to speed up the process of getting back into shape, she looked the same that she had looked a year ago. By the time she came upstairs it was beginning to get dark out, they would have to leave in several hours.

"Nat, you want some food?"

"Yes please, can you make waffles?"

Clint nodded and smirked.

"You know I'm starting to believe you have some sort of chemical dependency on my waffles."

"You already know I do."

She waited patiently as he finished her waffles and served them.

"So are you ready to turn on the charm?"

"Nat, you know I don't need to. I'm already a lady magnet."

Natasha snorted and finished her waffles. She stretched out her hand to pat his band and walked out of the kitchen towards her room.

"Sure you are Barton."

She finished packing everything she would need and showered. When she came out Steve was sprawled out on the bed nodding off to sleep. His bag was next to hers by the door. She was quick to cuddle up next to him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Her fingers felt cold as she rested her hands on his stomach under his shirt.

"You know I don't think I ever thanked you for saving me."

Steve looked down at her with questioning eyes, clearly confused.

"Back at the battle against Loki, you shielded me from getting hurt."

"I'll always protect you Natasha."

"I know, but there are some things not even captain America can protect me from?"

He sat up and looked down at her with worried eyes.

"Like what?"

"Myself"

"Tasha…what are you talking about."

"Just…forget it. We have to leave soon; I need to finish getting ready."

His worried eyes followed Natasha until she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She didn't come back out until Jarvis notified them that the jet was waiting on the roof of Stark tower. She walked out beautifully made up, her hair in a perfect ballerina bun. Steve followed her out of the room, her words still haunting him. The group noticed the way Steve was looking at Natasha. The ride was quiet besides Clint trying out different smirks and Tony and Thor mocking him. The closer they got to Vegas the more unnerved Natasha seemed to get.

"You alright Tash? You look like you're going to hurl."

"Fine…just nervous."

"You walk into life threatening situations daily without batting an eye but a ballet recital has your panties in a bunch."

She glared at him and deserted her seat, walking towards him with the smirk she usually had during missions. He was quick to stand too.

"Stand straight and still, I have to stretch."

Clint looked completely dumbfounded, as did everyone else as Natasha raised her leg and rested her ankle on Clint's shoulder, ignoring the bewildered looks they were all giving her. The plane landed softly on the outskirts of Vegas, Natasha was fidgety, she was never this way. It didn't take Steve long to realize that this would be her first time actually dancing in front of people. She had previously believed that she had done it, but it had been a lie. His hand found her and he gave it a reassuring squeeze, their earlier talk was pushed to the back of his mind. They entered a two small connected motel rooms that would be shared by the avengers for the night. Natasha and Clint had to instantly get ready. Clint walked out of the bathroom wearing a tux.

"You clean up nice Barton."

"Thanks Tas-"

He dint even finish his sentence when he took a look at Natasha. A deep purple tight fitting dress and sky high black pumps accentuated Natasha's curves in all the right places. Clint was brought out of his thoughts by a hard smack to the back of his head.

"Watch out for wandering hands, you might need them to continue working."

"Geez Cap, I agree with Stark…you are threatening."

Steve rolled his eyes as he finished helping Natasha button up the back of her dress.

"Alright kiddies, Bruce will be in the venue with you watching the performance. Steve will be in the ballroom for the after party which is where Clint will put the moves on and I get to wait outside the hotel to watch the real action. Thor you're with me"

Natasha nodded and took Clint's arm. He was carrying her bag full weapons and ballet materials.

"See you guys in a bit."

They all left to their waiting spots. The comms were silent until Clint and Natasha entered the venue and the roar of the people in the room was almost deafening. Many people in the room were undercover S.H.I.E.L.D agents who 'recognized' the famous ballerina and were instantly trying to get pictures with her and autographs. Clint instantly noticed their target who was staring straight at them with a smirk on her face. Clint led Natasha backstage and took a seat right by their mark. The lights dimmed and Natasha appeared on the stage with a beautiful smile on her face and began to execute every move with perfect precision and fluidity. People were staring in amazement and wonder. Even Bruce and Clint were mesmerized. The performance seemed to be over too quickly and every single person in the room was standing giving Natasha a standing ovation. Clint could have sworn he saw a tear slipping from her eye. They were all almost instantly led to the ballroom as Natasha was escorted backstage to change. Steve was at the bar drinking water and Bruce was at another corner of room talking with a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. Clint soon joined their mark at the bar.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

"I'd never turn down a drink."

The woman seemed to be openly flirting with Clint while Steve looked awkward to be in such close proximity to them. Especially with Tony making crude comments over the comm.

"You escorted the ballerina didn't you?"

"Yes, Miss Kozlov is a dear friend."

"Miss? She's single"

Tony's laughter was nearly deafening as he realized the twist this mission was taking. Bruce was trying to hold back a chuckle. Natasha's smooth voice rand clearly through the comm.

"Well what do you know; even when you're the seducer they still want me. Isn't that odd Barton?"

Clint ignored her comment as answered their mark.

"Yes she is. She'll actually be joining us shortly."

"Would she be interested?"

Once again Tony's laughter rang clearly and was soon joined by Thor who was just realizing what was happening. Steve seemed to have a very tight grip on his glass.

"I think she definitely would be…here she comes. Natalia over here!"

Natasha looked over from where she was receiving praise from a group of people and began to walk over, sashaying her hips. Her Russian accent was slightly prominent in her speech.

"Dominick, my good friend I do hope you enjoyed the show…and you are?"

"Adriana, pleasure to meet you. The show was incredible."

"Thank you, the pleasure is all mine. I'm Natalia."

Natasha smiled at their mark and sat very close to her. Clint sat awkwardly next to them for the next hour as Natasha and their mark flirted shamelessly. They slipped out soon followed by Steve, Clint and Bruce.

"Legolas, Capsicle, Brucie, Tasha and the lady just entered their room and looks like this lady is not holding back. I'm gonna get quite a show before we get anything done. Tasha just served her a drink, looks like she slipped in a pill. There's security outside the room as well as on the roof and outside in the back of the hotel, the guys in the back have some big toys."

"Alright, Stark you keep eyes on the target until Clint get there. Thor you got the guys on the roof, just try to keep it quiet. Stark once Barton gets there you take care of the guys in the back. Take Banner with you, I'll get the ones outside the room."

"Got it Capsicle"

Clint popped up behind Tony and got a good look at what was happening.

"Damn, that's pretty hot."

Steve huffed, clearly irritated.

"Alrighty Legolas you got it from here. But before I go, Jarvis full body scan on the target. Gotta make sure the drug is taking effect."

"Sir, the target is in fact under the influence of a drug. However her systems are all working well. All vitals are functioning, the baby is also fine."

They could see Natasha faltered as she heard that their target was with child but she had to keep moving. Thunder rang out and it was clear that Thor was winning on the roof. The hulk had been unleashed and he had demolished the men in the back. Tony barely had to take anyone out. Outside of the hotel room one of the men hit the door and let out a bang as Steve was taking them down. Their target got off the bed and tried to make a move for the door. Natasha was on her in a second.

"I'm so sorry"

And with that Natasha snapped her neck, tears making their way down her face as she thought of the child that would never have a chance. She grabbed her clothes that were scattered around the room and searched for the flash drive. Finding it in the woman's jacket pocket and walking out of the room just as Steve was taking out the last man.

"Nat-"

"I just need to go."

She handed him the flash drive and walked away. Several S.H.I.E.L.D agents arrived for clean up but Steve couldn't tare his eyes away from the area where Natasha no longer stood.

* * *

wow, summer is over. I start school tomorrow (senior year). I'll try to upload as much as possible, I swear.

Reviews are always welcome ;)


	22. Chapter 22

"where could she be?"

"don't worry Steve."

"how can I not worry?"

"because she's Nat, she'll be alright she just needs to cope."

"what if she gets in trouble Barton?"

"Then she'll get herself out of trouble. This is Natasha we're talking about."

"but-"

"no buts, how about this. If she is not back in the next 24 hours we will split up and look for her. I'm sure it wont be hard for the avengers to get a hold of her"

Steve sighed, throwing himself onto the small bed in their motel room, knocking Tony off.

"you know what, if we're staying in Vegas a little longer I say we get a nice hotel and we go out to party."

They all agreed and packed their things, Thor half dragged Steve out the door and into a car that Tony had arranged to pick them up. They were dropped off in a big hotel where Tony led them to the penthouse. Turns out they were located right on the strip. Tony, Thor and Clint went out to party while Steve and Bruce opted for sleep. Steve didn't sleep that night, he simply stayed awake hoping that Natasha would walk through the door. She didn't, the door stayed closed until Clint stumbled in a 9 in the morning follow by Thor and Tony several hours later. They went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast where they overheard the conversation of two young men next to them.

"Dude, I was at Haze last night and there was this girl. Banging hot, bright red hair couldn't have been more than 23. She was absolutely smashed, I thought it would be an easy kill but as soon as I put my hand on her ass she fucking flipped me over and almost dislocated my shoulder."

Steve and Bruce turned to look at the guy and saw that he had a black eye and split lip.

"Hey son, where did you say you saw this girl?"

"Haze…holy shit man are you-"

"do you have any idea where she could have gone after that?"

"I had overheard her talking about going to another club but I don't know where sir…Captain."

Steve nodded in gratitude and turned back to the rest of his team.

"She's fine Rogers, and probably not nearly as hung over as Stark is going to be."

Steve just glared at Clint and continued stabbing his breakfast, making sure to be loud to aggravate Clint. Tony and Thor were not very welcoming of the noise either, all three of them stood up leaving Bruce and Steve alone.

"you need to calm down Steve."

"How am I supposed to? I feel like I'm the only who is worried about Natasha."

"you're not, we all are. We all love her but worrying is not going to do any good."

Steve pushed himself off his chair and stomped away from the table. Tony had already covered the tab so Bruce followed Steve back to their suite. Thor was laying across the couch, half of his ridiculously large body hanging off. Clint was nursing a coffee at the bar and Tony was nowhere to be seen. Probably downstairs at the casino. Steve however decided to take residence in his own room, looking out the window. Straining his eyes to try to see if he could spot the red hair that he knew there was no chance he would see. Minutes seemed to pass like hours and the sun went down slower than ever. Steve was going out of his mind. The second the clock indicated that it had been 24 hours since Natasha left them Steve grabbed his leather jacket and was out the door shortly followed by the rest of the avengers. They split up, each of them searching individual clubs, bars, casinos. Everywhere where they could possibly find Natasha. Thor was starting to yawn around four in the morning, Tony was using every kind of technology he could but the spy was nowhere to be found.

"Maybe Tasha just doesn't want to be found. If that's the case you have no chance of finding her Steve. Let's just go back to the suite, get some rest and we can start fresh tomorrow."

Steve was reluctant but he knew what Clint was saying was true. There were tears of frustration threatening to spill from Steve's eyes.

"Do not worry friend Steve, we shall find our fiery friend and all will be well once again."

Steve accepted the pat on the back from Thor and followed Tony to their hotel. The suite was dark and quite compared to the roaring nightlife surrounding them. They each retreated to their own rooms, each of them emotionally and physically drained. Steve walked into his room, frustrated and alone. He slammed the door nearly knocking it off its hinges and threw himself off the bed in frustration. He didn't notice the woman standing by his window.

"late night?"

Steve was on his feet in a fraction of a second ready for a fight but he relaxed as soon as she stepped closer. The emerald eyes and flaming red hair were unmistakable. She had an uncertain look in her eyes as if she thought that Steve would not want her back after her disappearing. He didn't even hesitate gather the small woman in his arms, holding her close. He let out a choked sob and breathed in her scent.

"I thought you weren't coming back"

"I'll always come home. You are my home Steve. I'm sorry."

"It's okay baby, I understand. I'm just glad to have you back."

Natasha nearly lost it as she held on tight to Steve, pushing her face into his chest not letting him go. They stayed in that position for some time until they finally started to pull away. Steve took in Natasha's tiny dress that left barely anything to the imagination and her sky high heels.

"Natasha, I love you but you kind of smell."

"I threw up in the bushes outside the hotel."

"Lovely, how about we get you showered and clean and we can go to sleep."

"I'm not tired."

"Alright baby, then you can tell me where you've been."

Natasha nodded and followed Steve into the bathroom, he washed her hair and let her rest on him before handing her one of his shirts and leading her back to their room.

"I was bar hopping, to be quite honest I can't remember much of anything. I won a few thousand at the Bellagio. It was all a blur after that. I'm pretty sure some bastard slipped something into one of my drinks but I got out of there before anything could happen. Next thing I know I'm in a warehouse in a game of Russian roulette with a gun to my head. That's what it took for me to come home and realize that I couldn't lose you."

He was laying on the bed, her body tucked perfectly into his side. If she had been looking up she would have seen a seen the dark look cross Steve face as soon as she began to talk about Russian Roulette. He didn't interrupt her, he just listened and held her tight. They laid in comfortable silence until Natasha abruptly stood up and walked over to the closet. Steve could make out the outline of her luggage and several bags that were not there before in her closet. She rummaged through her small suitcase and pulled something out. When she turned around and came back to bed Steve could see a shimmering ring on Natasha's finger that brought a smile to his face.

"you know I was starting to think that you had forgotten that you were my fiancée."

"I could never Captain."

She snuggled back into his side, falling asleep almost instantly. Steve followed soon after, both of them exhausted from the last few days. It was not even an hour later when Thor's booming voice rang through the suite.

"Steve! The sun has risen and it is time for us to continue our search for our beautiful Natasha."

Clint and Tony opened Steve's door and began jumping on his bed.

"Jeez, ow!"

"Come on Tasha we have to go look for Tasha…wait."

"will you please get your foot off my boob Stark?"

Clint and Tony both jumped off the bed stairing at Natasha.

"welcome back sweet cheeks."

Natasha smiled at Tony. Bruce and Thor walked into the room once they heard Natasha's voice, the latter jumped on the bed to give Natasha a back breaking hug.

"well since our adventures have been cancelled, Pepper requests my presence back in New York. So unless you wanna find your own ride we're leaving in half an hour."

Natasha pulled out some of the shopping bags she had apperantly hidden in the closet and retreated to the bathroom to get dressed. She came out looking completely refreshed and smiling with an engagement ring on her finger. Steve was drying his hair and pulling on a shirt. All her things were neatly folded into her suitcase.

"I showered in Bruce's bathroom, Tony is getting fidgety. We should hurry."

Natasha nodded as she put on her shoes. Steve took the luggage out as Natasha finished getting ready. She then joined the boys in the car waiting to take them to the Stark jet awaiting their arrival.

"You alright Tash?"

She nodded at Clint, reassuring him that she wouldn't freak out at any moment. Tony rushed everyone until they reached the jet.

"Stark you are getting on my final nerve, if you tell me to hurry up one more time I swear you will regret it."

Tony was sitting in his seat tied to his chair with a rope that he didn't know Natasha had with her.

"where the hell did you get this rope from little red, untie me."

"…no, I warned you to not rush me."

"you suck…right Steve?"

That earned Tony a glare.

"wait a second Anastasia…whats that shiny rock on your ring finger."

The rest of the avengers immediately turned to look at the engagement ring.

"nah, Tasha's not that marriage kind are you Tash?"

"…actually I'm engaged."

"To Steve?"

"Yes Clint, to Steve."

"when? Last night?"

"No, about 3 months ago."

There was silence followed by loud cheering from Thor. He thumped Steve on the back and hugged Natasha.

"congratulations my friends!"

The rest of the guys offered their congratulations aswell. Tony began planning a party as soon as Bruce gave in and untied him, earning a glare from Natasha.

* * *

holy cow, i just realized how long its been sine i uploaded, i apologize. I had this chapter uploaded i just forgot to actually post it to the story. I'm sorry guys, school has been kicking my butt. As always i hope you enjoy it and I hope to hear what you have to say.

Reviews make my day!


	23. Chapter 23

Tony had literally pushed them all out of the way in his one man stampede to avenger's tower.

"I'm pretty sure he's trying to cash in on Peppers time off."

"I didn't need to know that Bruce. Maybe we should go out for the day."

"What do you have in mind Tasha?"

"Laser tag? No wait, paintball!"

"Natasha, do you think getting shot at is really a good way for me to avoid stress?"

"You can be on Steve and Thor's team."

Bruce nodded, knowing that Steve would take a bullet for his team mates, even if it was just paint.

"So Thor, Steve and I against you and Clint? That doesn't sound fair."

"Steve is extremely talented with a gun, it's just paintball."

"Natasha…"

"Fine Banner, you, Thor and Steve make up one group; Barton and I are by ourselves."

She pouted as she re-entered the car that they had vacated just moments ago and gave the cab driver directions. The rest of the team got in, Bruce was filling Thor and Steve in on what the objective of the game was. Natasha was smirking and Clint was glaring at her, knowing he would be her main target. It took almost an hour and a half to get there, although with Thor constantly asking if they were there yet it felt much longer. As soon as they reached the entrance Natasha and Clint were recognized.

"Claire? Ray? It's good to see you again?"

"Still remember us?"

"Hard to forget you two, that was the most intense paintball match I've ever seen."

Natasha smiled and handed over her credit card.

"Game for 5 please."

"Alright, will you need extra padding Ray?"

Clint mumbled under his breath and shook his head, shooting Natasha a glare, she responded with a toothy grin. They were all handed their guns and padding, as soon as they reached the field Natasha and Clint practically disappeared, Steve saw a flash of red hair followed by a paint ball hitting him in the chest.

"I guess the game has begun."

Before they could move they were attacked by paintballs that seemed to be coming from the trees. Thor was shooting wildly while Bruce and Steve were being more careful. They were running around trying to avoid being hit and failing miserably. Things were quiet around their area for a few minutes.

"Tasha and Clint have most likely opened fire on each other."

Just as Bruce said that they were joined by the Hawk himself.

"Alright, I'm joining your team. Natasha is a monster and needs to be taken down."

Thor laughed and followed Clint to where he believed Natasha was hidden. It was like a game of cat and mouse, except here the mouse was clearly the winner. They ran around for another three hours, shooting every time they saw a flash of red but never hitting. They were however demolished, every inch of them was covered in paint. They kept seeing her weave in and out of the trees, getting extremely close to them.

"She's teasing us, I swear to god that woman is downright deadly. Thor where is your gun?"

Thor looked down to the empty space where his gun was previously resting against his leg.

"I do not know Clint."

Suddenly they were all attacked by extreme amounts of paintballs, it seemed like every inch of their bodies were covered in paint. They were all sore and had all run out of paintballs. Steve opened his eyes to see Natasha jump down from a tree, free of any paint with both hers and Thor's guns.

"I win. Hey Bruce you were right, you are looking a little green…and red, and blue, and yellow."

She giggled as he tried to wipe some paint off his face. She started to run towards the exit once Bruce began to chase her and try to hug her.

"Lady Natasha looks happy, happier than she did several days ago."

Stave and Clint looked up at Thor and smiled, realizing that what he said was true. They heard Natasha shriek and they ran to catch up and see Natasha up a tree and Bruce waiting at the bottom with his arms open.

"You can have a hug once you get all the gear off."

As soon as the boys got the gear off she leaped of the tree branch and into Thor's waiting arms.

"I don't know about you guys, but I had fun."

Thor gave her a big squeeze while she rested in his arms.

"Indeed, this game of paintball was great fun and entertaining. However I am famished."

"Since Stark isn't here to suggest it how about Shawarma?"

Bruce looked at Natasha from where he was wiping the paint off his face and smiled.

"How about that hug now."

Thor set her down and she gave Bruce a warm hug. He hadn't noticed how tiny she really was. Her hand found his to pull him towards the exit once she pulled away, hi hand easily swallowed hers.

"You have really cute hands."

Natasha arched her eyebrow and allowed herself to giggle.

"Thanks Bruce, I hope that's not the only cute thing about me."

"You're cute all over Tasha. Like a cute cuddly teddy bear."

She laughed and allowed him to swing his arm to rest it over her shoulder.

"Hey babe- I mean Steve?"

Steve smiled at Natasha's slip and turned to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"I think Banner is giving you a little competition for my heart."

"Oh really?"

Natasha nodded and smiled as Clint and Thor handed back the equipment. The guy behind the counter smiled at Natasha, he was clearly one of the people that was absolutely smitten by her.

"I see you gave them hell again Claire, you should become a spy or something. You're absolutely lethal with a gun."

Steve couldn't suppress his laughter.

"Actually I was wondering, seeing as you seem to enjoy paintball so much maybe you'd like to come back soon for a game..with me."

Steve suddenly stopped laughing and he stood up straight, now it was Clint's turn to laugh.

"Sorry bud, you're a little too late."

Natasha raised her hand to show the impressive diamond on her finger and nodded back at Steve who was standing with his arms crossed and an angry look on his face. He was clearly flexing. The guy behind the counted began to stutter and apologized as he walked away from the group.

"Steve, that was mean. You probably made him piss his pants with just the look you were giving him."

Steve game her puppy eyes and she rolled her eyes and smiled. Walking towards the waiting car.

"Friends, I require sustenance!"

"Right, Shawarma it is. We should go for froyo after. Actually now that I think about it that sounds like a great idea. Nat can we please get froyo? PLEASE?"

"Geez Clinton, what are you, five? You don't need my permission, we can go."

He stuck out his tongue at her and struck up a conversation with the guys in the car as Natasha looked on. Clint and Thor we're soon immersed in a thumb war that Clint lost miserably.

"Okay, yeah you won buddy. Ow"

He instinctively put his hand on Natasha's lap, waiting for her to inspect his thumb. She popped it back into place and continued the conversation she was having with Bruce. By the time they got their diner it was 8 and dark out. The people in the restaurant recognized them right away and their food was served to them in record time. Even Thor was too full for desert so they just decided to call it a night.

"Hey Clint, you have a bruise on your forehead."

"Yeah, from where your trigger happy ass hit me with a paintball."

"How about I make you a drink?"

"Make it two and you're off the hook…for now."

She smiled as they walked into the tower.

"Jarvis please inform Tony that we are on our way up; I don't want to walk in on him in a compromising position."

"Right away Mr. Rogers. Welcome back."

"Thank you Jarvis."

Steve pressed the button and leaned against the elevator wall.

"You Steve, I'm fairly certain Jervis has got a thing for you."

"That's nonsense Bruce."

Once they entered their living quarters they were greeted to the sight of a shirtless Tony Stark snuggling on the couch with a fully dressed and sleeping Pepper.

"You know Stark you look kind of adorable."

"Can it Romanoff, and keep your voice down."

She walked over to the bar and mixed Clint and the rest of the avengers drinks.

"None for you Tash?"

"I have something a little different for me."

She took a large tumbler and walked into her room, when she came back with a small amount of liquid in her glass.

"Cheers."

Thor could tell it was his birthday present and smiled at her. It didn't take long to find out that asgardian alcohol was loads stronger than their regular stuff. Natasha was absolutely plastered. Every time Steve tried to get her off the table and try to get her to bed she would hit him, she had even swung at Clint and Thor several times. Clint had randomly started making waffles and Thor was watching Natasha beat the crap out of Steve, Tony and pepper had already retired to their bedroom.

"Steve, you will have many battle wounds by the time morning comes. Maybe you should let lady Natasha go to bed on her own."

Steve looked exasperated.

"Hey Tasha, you want some waffles?"

She nearly trampled Steve on her run over to where Clint was holding a plate of waffles and she dug right in. Her eyelids began to flutter moments later.

"Francis, you are soooo pretty. I like your face."

Steve walked over to stand in front of Natasha.

"Oh hey Steve, where did you come from? You are pretty too, like super pretty."

She was speaking slowly, trying to enunciate every word but it was not working. She then face planted in the plate of waffles. The panic was visible on Steve's face.

"Don't worry capsicle, I slipped the Natasha dosage of sleeping pills into the waffles. It's something I'm accustomed to doing. You should have seen her in Rio a few years back. She was the life of the party. She bought me a pet iguana and an alpaca. Plus she told everyone her boobs were psychic and proceeded to tell fortune. As soon as I started to make fun of her she had me in a thigh hold."

Thor laughed and watched as Steve scooped his fiancée up bridal style to tuck her into bed.

"Our captain truly does love Lady Tasha does he not?"

"Yeah he does, she deserves it."

"You love her as well."

"I love her enough to want her to be happy, she's happy with Steve."

"Does it not hurt to watch the one you love be with another."

"It does, but I'd give my life just to see her smile. I can take some heartache."

The archer went off to bed leaving Thor to contemplate Clint's bittersweet view on life.


	24. Chapter 24

When Steve woke up the next morning he had expected a very hung over Natasha to be laying in bed next to him, however the bed was empty. There was a cup of coffee on his bedside table. He took the coffee and walked into the living room. The sight before him was confusing. Thor was standing in the middle of the room with one of his arms stretched out on his side, Natasha was using his arm as a pull up bar, a little to the left of them Tony and Clint each had 'hulk' gloves on and we're fighting dirty. Bruce seemed to be the referee in that battle.

"what is going on, Tony why are you up? It's not even noon yet."

"Well stars and stripes, it all started this morning with little red and bird boy climbing through the vents at 4 in the morning, Barton dropped a stink bomb in my room which resulted in me following them in my suit which woke up Thor who's yell startled me and I shot a laser into Banner's room which caused him to Hulk out and break part of the kitchen. The guy's that soundproofed yours and Red's room must have done a really good job, you didn't hear this morning's chaos and I haven't heard you and our itsy bitsy spider going at it."

Tony dodged the couch pillow that was thrown his way and smacked Steve on the head with his hulk hand.

"Theres something wrong with all of you."

As Steve turned to walk to the kitchen he realized that Tony hadn't lied, the kitchen was destroyed and there was a big hulk sized hole in the wall, water was sputtering from the partially demolished sink. No one seemed to mind or blame Banner, in fact Tony felt guilty for being the cause behind Banner losing control.

"How about we all get ready and go out for breakfast, I know a great place not too far away. Oh and Fury want you on the phone little Red. Lets all meet in the garage in 30."

They all went to get ready while Natasha contacted Fury and they met up in the garage.

"Looks like I get to spend the next week with you Stark, Natalie Rushman is back in action. I'm sure Happy will be elated."

"you're coming to the next Stark events with me?"

"I would've expected you to have hacked S.H.I.E.L.D and figured that out already. They want to keep any iron man appearances and fights to a minimum so they want the best security to make sure you're not needed."

"Maybe security as intense as you isn't exactly necessary but its nice to know they care enough to want to keep me alive. I just hope you don't get bored."

"With you Stark I'm sure there's plenty of people who want you dead, have you ever been in your presence? I want you dead half the time."

Tony stuck his tongue out and Natasha and ushered her into the limo.

"does this mean that the Natalie Rushman pictures are going back online?"

Natasha glared at him and got into the car, sitting as far from him as possible.

"We leave tomorrow bright and early little red, 6 am on the Stark jet. First stop is Tokyo, then Germany, Greece, Italy, France, England and Spain. We might add Switzerland as well. Think you can handle that itsy bitsy spider? You might not be getting much sleep."

"I don't sleep…I wait."

Tony started to laugh but that glare that Natasha sent his way caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

"Oh Clint, we need to stop by S.H.I.E.L.D today. They need to test some newbies."

"But we never have to do that! It's Coulso…"

Natasha looked up at him as he realized what he had said. Neither of them had truly mourned Coulson or accepted the loss.

"We have to be there at 5, it shouldn't take long. Most of them never make it."

"Got it Tash, are you gonna make them cry again?"

She just smiled and leaned her head on Thors shoulder.

"You guys should come along. Watch Natasha scare the living shit out of 20 fully grown men."

They made it to the restaurant before anyone could agree and Thor nearly threw himself out of the car and began to run towards the restaurant, dragging Natasha behind him. He practically threw her into the seat and began to order before the other people could catch up.

"Geez Thor, I'm a little more breakable than you."

"My apologies Lady Natasha, I am starving, its past noon and I have yet to eat."

Natasha nodded and rubbed her shoulder, Thor had yanked her arm a little too hard. Steve sat next to her and began to massage her shoulder for her.

"I'll miss you. Promise to take care of yourself."

"I always do Steve, don't worry about me. I love you too."

"well sorry to interrupt the moment lovebirds but I'd rather not vomit this awesome food I'm about to eat."

"This is what I was talking about Stark, sometimes I really just want to kill you."

Tony smiled at Natasha as their food was served an enjoyed the silence as everyone dug into their food. They watched Clint and Natasha test some possible S.H.I.E.L.D employees. Every man there had their eyes glued to Natasha. They weren't expecting her to be the one to break them down and make nearly all of them cry. Out of the group of 20 men not one of them passed. Clint barely had to step in.

"Well that was good Tasha, you only sent 6 of them to the infirmary, that's a new record."

She smirked at him and packed up her guns. She turned around with a gun in her hand and shot the bullseye on the wall with perfect precision.

"we should get back to the tower, we leave bright and early tomorrow Stark and I need to say goodbye to Steve."

Clint choked on his own spit and Tony burst into laughter. Natasha didn't even bother looking at them as she picked up her bag and walked out of the room and out of the building, making her way to the car. The rest of the team followed, tony was still chucking as he pat a red face Steve on the back. Agent Hill stopped Clint on his way out of the building and informed him that he would be leaving for Brazil for an undercover mission in less than 24 hours. As soon as the team made it back into the living quarters Tony pulled up the modeling pictures of Natalie Rushman. Steve turned bright red before demanding that the pictures were taken down.

"I apologize Captain Rogers, mr. Stark has overridden your demands."

Steve turned to glare at a smirking Tony.

"Normally I would be against resorting to violence but this is my fiancée we're talking about. Take the pictures down now Stark."

Tony put his hands up in surrender and took down the pictures.

"you should probably go say your parting words and say goodbye if you know what I mean."

"Stark…"

Tony just smirked and walked away to his room. Steve walked into his room, Natasha's bags we're packed and her humming was coming from the bathroom.

"Hey Tash?"

"yeah?"

"is there room for two?"

He could practically hear the smile on her face.

"why don't you come in and find out."

He heard Tony cheering from outside the room but he simply ignored him and joined Natasha in the shower, making sure to throw a shoe at the door.

* * *

i swear i didn't forget about you guys, i've just been super busy with sports, school, clubs and applying to college and such. Plus i really need some ideas because obviously if i have nothing to write about, nothing will get written. Help me out you guys, reviews and ideas would be wonderful.


	25. Chapter 25

Natasha finished pulling her hair back as Steve walked back from taking her bags down.

"You look beautiful darling, is it necessary for your dress to be that tight?"

"it's not too tight Steve, its modern."

She walked over to the bed where he was sitting and perched on his lap.

"I'll miss you baby. I'll be back in no time and we can finally start to plan a small wedding."

Steve rested his chin on Natasha's head, taking in her warmth.

"You better be back in one piece. I wouldn't be able to live an eternity without you."

Tony interrupted their moment.

"Come on little red, Happy's waiting outside. You know I'm nothing if not punctual."

Natasha let out a very unlady like snort and got off Steve's lap, kissing him deeply and wrapping a diamond bracelet around her wrist as she walked out.

"Im sure Happy will be delighted to see me."

Before making it to the door Natasha saw Clint walking out with his bag.

"I'll be seeing you soon Barton."

"Bet your ass you will Tash, I should be back by the time you get here."

"be careful, I wont be there to save your ass."

Clint squeezed her hand, it was their own kind of promise, reassuring the other that they would be fine. She pulled her hand away and kissed his cheek. She walked away and followed Tony out, sending a loving glance towards Clint. As soon as Natasha slid into the car Happy's jaw dropped.

"miss me Happy?"

He couldn't even form any sentences he just drove away, his jaw ajar.

"It's gonna be a fun week don't you think little red?"

Natasha chuckled and promptly fell asleep cuddled next to Tony.

"Stark, this has been the most boring week of my life."

"You know you didn't use to complain half this much when you were Natalie Rushman the first time."

"Yeah because that was when I had to make you keep me around. Now I know you love me too much to get rid of me. Can't someone attempt to kill you or something, I'm dying of boredom"

"Well don't worry Tash, today is the last day, we have the conference in Brussels and then we leave. We have to be in the conference call in 10 minutes, so we should be out of here in an hour, 2 hours top."

Natasha slipped on her heels and put her hair up, walking outside of their room as Pepper was walking in.

"Hey Natasha, is Tony ready?"

"nearly, you know Stark."

"Yeah, I swear I'm gonna go gray and its going to be his fault."

"hey Pepper, since he's not wearing his suit, can you make sure he wears the bullet proof vest. I swear the man thinks he's invincible."

"You know I'm starting to think you really do care, but it's true. Tony needs to realize he's probably the easiest to kill out of the avengers."

Natasha nodded and suppressed a smirk as she walked towards the conference center and took a seat on the stage, causing some men to drool. Tony joined them on stage and gave one of the most interesting conferences Natasha had ever seen. From the lack of bulkiness of Tonys shirt Natasha could tell he had skipped the vest. She could also tell that there were several men were lurking oddly in the corners, she had already sent security out of them but she was waiting at the edge of her seat. When the first shot rang out she didn't think twice about stepping in front of Tony and pushing him towards happy. The adrenaline rush was so high that she didn't even feel the first bullet enter her lower back. People were panicking, Natasha had Pepper covered and was trying to usher her towards Happy who had brought the car around and was pushing Tony inside. Tony hopped right back out and dragged Pepper into the car, Natasha closed the door behind Pepper and ran back into the crowd of people, taking out 3 of the 5 men in no time. The fourth took more time to find in the crowd but once he was located he was out in no time.

Natasha may not have felt the first bullet pierce into her but she certainly felt the second, and the third, and the fourth. The fifth bullet hit her chest and the last thing she saw was red and gold before everything went dark.

Avengers Mansion.

Steve was sitting in Bruce's lab, sketching anything that came to mind. The sounds of the t.v could be heard coming from the living room, Thor had been glued to the t.v since morning.

"Are you alright Steve, you look troubled."

"I just got a really bad feeling, like something has gone terribly wrong."

"I'm sure everythings alright."

"Tasha and Tony come back today right?"

"Yeah, they should be home tonight. Don't stress over it."

Steve nodded but didn't even bother going back to sketching, he had a strong feeling that something just wasn't right.

"I'm going to go for a run. I'll be back in a few."

"hours?"

"probably.

Bruce sent Steve one of his kind smiles and allowed him to leave. It wasn't half an hour after Steve left that Bruce got a call from Maria Hill.

"Doctor Banner?"

"Yes?"

"This is Agent Hill. We have been unable to reach captain Rogers, there has been an incident. Agent Romanoff is in critical condition. She is being rushed back to New York as we speak and should be arriving to the S.H.I.E.L.D medical base in less than 2 hours."

"I'll get Steve, we'll be there."

They hung up the phone and Bruce ran out of his lab, grabbing onto Thor and dragging him along with him.

"What is the matter Bruce? Is danger afoot?"

"Natasha's hurt, it's bad. We have to find Steve and get him to the S.H.I.E.L.D medical base."

Mjolnir flew through the wall and landed in Thor's hand, he ran out into the iron man landing area and flew away, most likely searching for Steve. Bruce ran down to parking garage and drove straight to the medical center to await Natasha's arrival. Steve and Thor burst through the doors of the medical center only a few minutes later, dripping in sweat, panic and sheer terror painted on his face.


	26. Chapter 26

The two hours that were spent waiting for Natasha and Tony to arrive dragged on for an eternity. Steve was pacing, Thor and Bruce we're stairing at him from their chairs. The hallways were grey and quiet and felt wrong, they felt like death. Suddenly shouts and loud voices filled the building. The first person they saw was Tony, his entire torso was covered in blood.

"Friend Stark! Are you injured?"

Tony turned to meet the panicked god.

"No, its not my blood Thor."

As he said that Natasha was rushed past them, he skin was deathly pale, her lips purple. The scarlett blood drenched every inch of her. Something clicked inside Steve and he sprung into action, running after the gurney that Natasha was on until they closed the door to the operating room, that's when he turned to look at Tony.

"What the hell happened Stark?"

"It was an assacination attempt. Someone wanted Pepper and I dead, Natasha took the hit. All 5 of them, she was going down by the time I arrived in my suit. One in the shoulder, thigh, stomach, lower back, and one in the chest, they think it narrowly missed her heart. She's not waking up, but shes alive."

Steve punched a wall, smashing a hole in it before he slumped into a chair, placing his face in his hands. It was nearly 9 hours of silence as the doctors tried to keep Natasha alive. The four men were standing before the doctor even reached them.

"Agent Romanoff is in a coma. Her body cannot keep up with what's going on, it needs time to heal. What I'm trying to say is that its up to her to make it through now. You can go see her."

Steve nodded and walked past the doctor into the white room. Natasha was still, her hair spread around her face like a halo of blood. Her lips were dry but her skin was clean of the blood that previously covered it.

"Oh Tasha, you promised you would be fine."

Steve took her hand as he sat down next to her. It felt like ice against his warm skin. Thor, Bruce and Tony came in an hour later, they had wanted to give him some time alone. They all sat in silence for the rest of the night. The only thing heard was their breathing and the machines that were keeping Natasha alive. Tony and Bruce would take turns bringing food, they all made sure that Natasha would never be left alone. Pepper had even brought over night bags, knowing that none of the men would want to leave. It was the next day, 2 am when the door to Natashas room burst open, all four men were on their feet ready for a fight but they all relaxed as soon as they saw Clint. He rushed to Natasha's side.

"Damn it Tasha! What the fuck were you thinking? Is this was happens when you go on missions without me?"

Clint grabbed Natasha's arm and didn't let go for hours until he sank into the seat next to Steve. Bruce re did Clint's badly done stitches in silence and then went back to his seat. No one bothered asking Clint how his mission was, they knew he wouldn't answer. Not until Natasha was awake.

* * *

obviously a short chapter, sorry about that guys but so far the next chapter is over 5 pages long and still going. I really need ideas and reviews to keep this story going. I may not be online for a while, I happen to live right where Hurricane Sandy is hitting the hardest and its been estimated that i may not have power for up to 10 day. Reading your reviews on my phone will make going through the hurricane all better!

I hope this can be like the chapter where Natasha lost her baby, i got so many reviews that day.


	27. Chapter 27

Natasha could hear them whenever they talked, she could feel them around her, their love and worry. But they seemed to not talk at all. She found herself thinking back on moments with each member of the team.

**Thor**

She was laying on the roof of Stark tower, looking out at the mess that was manhattan. The battle between them and Loki had happened nearly a month ago and large parts of the city were still being fixed, the destruction had been worse than they thought.

"Do you not require rest Lady Natasha?"

"no."

"I have been back on earth for nearly a week and I have yet to see you rest."

"not tired."

"where is agent Barton?"

"He's working in Paris, I think theyre just trying to make sure Loki was flushed out of his system."

"Is he the reason you can't sleep?"

"No, I'm just not tired."

There was some silence and Natasha figured Thor would leave until she heard heavy footsteps stop next to her and a large body sit in a spot only two or three inches away. The exhaustion was apparent on her face, she was getting thinner, the areas under her eyes were dark.

"I never thanked you, for saving me from the hulk. I owe you."

"There is no need for thanks. You are my partner Lady Natasha, I will always be here for you."

Natasha smiled and closed her eyes but she jerked them open not a minute later.

"You should sleep, you look exhausted."

"I don't like sleeping, it makes me vulnerable. That's why I always carry this around."

She nodded towards the gun resting next to her.

"You can sleep, I'm here. I'll stay I awake, you'll be safe."

She looked at him, confused. Natasha didn't trust very easily but it didn't take long for the exhaustion to take over. She curled up into Thor's side and was asleep in minutes, until the sun rose. When she awoke, she smiled at him, looking rested and joined him for coffee.

**Bruce**

Natasha walked into his office after a deadly mission, the lesion on her forehead still bleeding. She had changed in sweatpants that clearly didn't belong to her and a short sleeved shirt that showed the bruises on her arm.

"Do you mind if I read in here? Tony has taken control of most of the other floors, its too loud."

"Of course, can I please patch up your head before you get cozy."

Natasha simply nodded and allowed Bruce to stitch up her head before sitting on the couch and losing herself in the book. Bruce took notice to the fact that she was reading War and Peace, the actual Russian version. This is when Clint would usually bug her about her Russian showing and she would simply smile and playfully glare at him. Bruce absentmindedly began to hum several hours later, the sun was long gone but they were still in his lab, mostly in silence. Once he caught himself humming a lullabye he looked over to Natasha to see her fast asleep with a small smile on her face. He continued to work until Jarvis alerted him that dinner was ready. Bruce contemplated waking Natasha but decided against it, when he arrived back in his lab carrying both their dinners Natasha was awake and back to reading her book. He set her dinner on the table next to the couch and procceeded to eat in silence.

"I'm not afraid of you."

Bruce looked up, started.

"what?"

"I'm not afraid of you, or of the Hulk. You're not a bad person Bruce and I'm not afraid of you. Even after the incident in the aircraft."

"I nearly killed you Natasha."

"But you didn't. You didn't chose this life Bruce, you don't kill to kill, not if you don't have to. I've been killing for my entire life."

"You didn't chose it either Natasha."

"I had a chance to walk away, but I just kept killing. I have blood on my hands and I have to live with the guilt every day. Its not a good way to live, so just know that I don't blame you Bruce. Youre a good man."

There was silence between the two until Bruce spoke again.

"Thank you Natasha."

She nodded and grabbed her book, she squeezed Bruce's shoulder on the way out and smiled at him. She came back the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. Everyday Bruce would allow her to relax in silence and never once tried to make her talk more than she wanted to, Natasha felt at home.

**Tony**

"Hey little spider, like your new web?"

Natasha put her bag on the floor of her new room in Avengers tower and turned to look at Tony.

"Its nice."

"you even get the nicest view just cause I love my little natashlie."

Natasha chuckled and took a seat on the bed, it was soft. The mattress dipped as Tony sat next to her.

"How are you doing Tasha?"

"fine."

"Natalie…I mean Natasha"

Natasha chuckled and allowed him to place his arm around her.

"I heard you on the hellicarrier. You were having a nightmare, and it wasn't just some little thing."

"You have nightmares too…I heard you while I was your assistant."

"The nightmares aren't what I remember the most from when you were my assistant."

He waggled his eyebrows and she shoved him.

"You know I love you Nat, even if you were a spy. I'm willing to ignore that, I knew there was something between us. I just didn't know it wasnt sexual."

Natasha turned to look at him, her giggled eventually turned to choked sobs. Tony pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tight.

"He was going to kill me. Clint was going to kill me."

Tony held her and allowed her to cry into his chest. She pulled away and rubbed her eyes.

"This never happened Tony. Alright? I'm too badass to cry and youre too cool to be here comforting me."

"Got it little Red. Just know if you ever need me to not be so cool, im here. And if you ever want to reprise the role of horny assistant I'm here for that too."

Natasha laughed and allowed Tony to pull her up and towards the kitchen where Steve and Clint were devouring everything in sight.

**Clint**

Natasha walked out of her S.H.I.E.L.D appointed room and towards the gym, running into Clint on the way there.

"Barton."

"Hey Romanoff, you wanna do something?

She quirked her eyebrow at him and urged him to continue.

"The fair has hit New York, do you wanna join me."

"the fair?"

"yeah, you know fried food, rides, shit load of fun?"

Natasha smirked and nodded.

"You ever been to one?"

She shook her head no and his jaw dropped.

"well then what are you waiting for Romanoff. Go get dressed comfortably and meet me outside, we're docked right by it so it shouldn't be more than a 20 minute drive."

She nodded and got changed, He relationship with Clint was odd, they had been working together for nearly five years and it was still strained. There was something about him that made her want to feel. Clint was feeling the same way. He had known right away, as soon as he saw her that he could never harm her. He had fallen in love. He had been trying but Natasha was cold and seemingly impossible to get close to. Whenever he thought she was getting comfortable she would just close up again and leave. But he was determined. She was already leaning on the car by the time he got there. Her bright red hair contrasted the darkness of her outfit beautifully, her pale skin looked smooth and soft, he would do anything to hold her.

"You look beautiful Natasha."

"Thank you Barton."

"You can call me Clint you know."

She nodded and got in the car. They drove in silence, that was an often occurrence with Natasha around. She was not one for small talk, or any kind of talk for that matter. Most people would have given up on Natasha after a few days yet 6 years later Clint was still trying to win her over. He pulled into the makeshift parking lot of the fair and urged Natasha to follow him. As soon as they walked in he got her a cotton candy and he watched as her lips twisted into a smile. He took her on every single ride and gave her every prize he won. On the ferris wheel Natasha watched the stars when they reached the top.

"Thank you Clint, this is incredible."

When he didn't answer she turned to look at him and he captured her lips with his. It didn't take long for her to kiss back.

"Yeah, this is incredible Natasha."

**Steve**

"Seriously Steve?"

"I think you look adorable."

Natasha was currently decked out in Dodgers gear, Steve was taking her to her first baseball game. Tony was tagging along so it was definetly going to be an experience. Steve placed a baseball cap on her head and dragged her out the door of their bedroom. Tony was tossing baseballs at Clint in the living room, each one missing miserably since Clint was great at dodging things.

"Are you ready Stark?"

"I'm always ready for a good time."

Tony winked at Natasha and walked out the door. Natasha rolled her eyes and followed Tony and Steve. You could practically feel Steve's excitement. Simply seeing the happiness on his face made Natasha smile bigger than she thought was possible. He held the door open for her, held her hand as they walked to the car Tony had ordered, opened the door for her. In all honestly she had the perfect man.

"Steve, your shaking the car. Calm down."

"I'm just excited. I haven't been to a ball game in…decades."

Natasha smiled and grabbed his hand, he instantly relaxed. Tony was picking the music, causing the car to begin shaking again.

"little loud isn't it Stark?"

"What? Turn it up? You got it little Red."

Natasha rolled her eyes and leaned into Steve who was still bouncing with excitement. Luckily it took less than an hour to arrive. Steve helped Natasha out and led Natasha into the stadium. Tony had gotten tickets right in front, Steve was sure to show his gratitude.

"I've never been this close, this is incredible."

Natasha could see Tony trying to suppress his smile. The game began and Steve was up cheering the entire time. Natasha was too busy watching Steve to actually pay any attention to the game. The way his dimples showed when he smiled, or how his nose scrunched up whenever the other team got a homerun. His laughter, and mainly the way his hand found hers and they enveloped her in warmth.

"Oh Oh Oh OH!"

A ball zoomed right at them and he caught it, she had never seen him so extatic. Natasha and Tony laughed and she could had sworn she saw tony wink at one of the players and the player tipped his hat at Tony. Steve hugged Natasha tightly and kissed the top of her head. He held on tightly to the ball in one hand and wrapped his other arm tight around Natasha. As she looked up at him she realized that's she would be perfectly happy spending the rest of her life with him, in fact she was already looking forward to it. She was drawn out of her thoughts by the crowd cheering for homerun, Steve got up and cheered as well, but he didn't let go of her.

Alexei's face flashed in her mind for mere seconds, the good memories she had with him and the love that she had thought they had for each other was replaced by bad memories. Believing he had dies and meeting him once again as he tried to kill her. His face was replaced by that of a man that Natasha's mind had repressed. All memories of him that she had blocked out completely were flooding back. Natasha had forced herself to believe that this man never existed. His playful smile, soft dark hair, his wild behavior, the love he had for her. It was all real, and if he was still out there she knew if would still be there. Just like her love for Clint and Steve, that kind of love didn't die. Memories continued to flash through her head from the moment she met him, to the nights when they loved each other, to the day when they were torn apart.

**IN THE HOSPITAL W/ THE AVENGERS**

Natasha's brain activity was going crazy, Bruce and Tony were trying to figure out what was going on. It had been nearly 3 weeks since Natasha had arrived at the hospital and nothing like this had happened. They all stepped forward, Clint and Steve staying the closest. Natasha's fingers began to move, it wasn't a very big movement but everyone in the room noticed. In the next few moments Natasha's eyes flew wide open and she sat up fast, the words were rushing out of her mouth in a panicked way.

"James! Where is James? Where is Bucky!"

They all slowly realized and processed what she had said but Steve was floored. How did Natasha know Bucky. Why hadn't she said anything before. When he looked at her he noticed that she had ripped all the tubes out and was breathing hard, pain was evident across her face. He was shocked, he couldn't move. He didn't miss the glare that Clint sent his way before he stepped up to the plate and wrapped his arms around Natasha trying to get her to calm down. The rest of the avengers moved Closer but Steve backed away. The look of confusion that was clouding Natasha's eyes and the fact that she was awake should be the only thing that he was worried about but all he could think about was the fact that she had uttered his best friends name. His _dead_ best friends name. It should be him in Clint's spot holding Natasha close and calming her down but he couldn't move, couldn't breathe.


	28. Chapter 28

"I was there when they recovered James, he barely made it. In fact they thought he was a lost cause, but he didn't stop fighting. He practically refused to die, he made himself get better. It was in Moscow that he finally came around. The cold had preserved his body but his brain had been damaged. He couldn't remember who he was. His arm was completely gone, we replaced it with a bionic arm. They put me in charge of training him. We were both brainwashed to be loyal to soviet Russia, I had just lost Alexei. It was inevitable that something happen. But that something grew into so much more and…I loved him. He loved me too, I know he did. But sometime before Clint came around he left. He left me in the middle of a war zone and he never came back. I don't know why I didn't remember him."

Natasha looked away from the big window and straight at Bruce. He was trying to understand.

"I think your mind was trying to shield itself from any pain. It made you forget completely about James in order to keep you sane. This was not your fault Natasha."

He saw the anger in her eyes which quickly melted away into pain.

"Then why won't Steve talk to me? Or even look at me? He can't even stand to be in the same room as me!"

Natasha got up to quickly, nearly falling over until Bruce grabbed her. Even a week after leaving the hospital her body had yet to completely recover. What she was saying was true, Steve hadn't so much as looked her way since she first said James's name in the hospital. Tony and Thor had been trying to reason with Steve for some time now, Bruce tried as well but he nearly lost his temper. Steve was probably in the gym, or in his room, he could be anywhere as long as Natasha wasn't there.

"Why can I remember him now?"

"Maybe you reached a point in your life where your brain thought it could handle the pain."

She toyed with the diamond ring on her finger, a habit that the rest of the avengers had noticed, and bit her lip.

"Maybe I should go away for some time. Give Steve some space."

"Natasha, you can't. Your body wouldn't be able to handle that. I don't think your heart could either."

"You would be surprised what I can handle."

"you don't have to do this alone Natasha"

"Its how I always end up Bruce. Alone, there was a time where I would have believed you but not now. It probably seems like I'm being dramatic but this is how it always goes. People leave, they pull away from you and they never look back. Alexei left, James left…and now Steve."

"Steve didn't leave Nat. Don't lose hope, that ring on your finger signifies Steve's love for you. He loves you Natasha, he wont leave you. Now how about I make you some tea and you go rest."

"make it vodka and I'll comply. Kauffman."

He nodded and served her a glass. She took it and squeezed his hand before retreating to her own room. The room that she and Steve shared, he had been staying in a guest room somewhere in the tower, somewhere far from her. She drew a bath and lay in it as she thought of Bucky and what had gotten her into this mess with Steve. The memories of James flooded back as if they had just happened yesterday. Every touch, every kiss, every word said, every night they spent together. It was all there, clear as ever. She could almost feel the tingle of her skin, the same feeling she would get whenever he touched her. She also remembered the things that she had fought so hard to forget. He left without a single word. He turned his back on her, walked away and never looked back.

She could have stayed in the bath forever, in her own little world if it weren't for the careful footsteps moving around in the bedroom. Natasha got out of the tub without making any noise and wrapped a towel around her body. She grabbed her gun and walked out of the bathroom. The room was empty, she almost went back to the tub until she noticed one of the drawers was slightly open. One of Steve's drawers, she walked over and pulled it open. _empty._ Natasha didn't hesitate get dressed as quick as possible and run out the door, into the elevator all the way to the exit of avengers tower.

Right away she knew what was happening. History was repeating itself. Steve was strapping a bag onto his bike, Natasha took a hesitant step forward earning Steve's attention.

"Steve…what are you…"

"I have to go away for a little"

"But…"

Steve simply shook his head as he mounted his motorcycle and sped away. He didn't look back.

"_please…don't go_."

* * *

im so sorry i've been away for so long guys, life has been crazy. Winter break is next week so i will hopefully have plenty of time to write. give me some ideas and feedback please.


	29. Chapter 29

Bruce, Clint and Tony watched from a window far up the tower as Steve drove away from Natasha. Her back was to them but they could see the pain on her. After she stood there for nearly an hour Clint debated going down to meet her. Natasha sharply turned around and walked back into the building, in a matter of minutes she was walking into the living area. The cold radiated off her, Tony began to speak but the look Natasha sent his way silenced him. She stormed into her own room.

"That wasn't Natasha."

Tony and Bruce looked at Clint in confusion.

"that was Natalia…the black widow."

Some shuffling could be heard coming from Natasha's room. She came out of her room a few minutes later wearing jeans and a leather jacket, bag in hand.

"Nat, where are you going?"

"Mission, I talked to S.H.I.E.L.D. I'll be gone for some time."

Bruce stood up.

"you're not cleared. Natasha you're still not completely healed."

Natasha simply turned away and took the elevator to the garage. She sped out of the building. Tony looked at the two men.

"This is gonna be messy isn't it? I'll go hack S.H.I.E.L.D to find out where she's going. Care to join me Brucie?"

Bruce rolled his eyes but followed Tony into his lab anyways. Clint walked into his room and prepared his bag before joining the others in the lab.

* * *

Steve was mindlessly driving around. It dint take so much as an hour of driving before he realized how idiotic his actions had been. Natasha loved him and he knew that, she didn't keep the information about Bucky from him on purpose. After only 5 hours of driving he stopped at a café for food and to figure out how he could possibly apologize to Natasha. A young woman asked for his order, the smile on her face made it obvious that she found Steve attractive.

"What can I start you off with handsome?"

"Coffee, black. Excuse me ma'am, exactly where am i?"

"Charlottesville, Virgina. You been traveling?"

"Yeah, I stopped looking at road signs a while back."

She smiled and walked away, bringing his coffee back in record time.

"Where are you planning on going?"

"I didn't really have a set destination before, but I think I better head back home."

"Where is home?"

"New York City. I shouldn't have left in the place."

"So why did you?"

"Because I'm an idiot."

"I'm sure youre not an idiot….i didn't catch your name."

"Its Steve."

"Well Steve, I'm Samantha. It's really nice to meet you. Tell you what, why don't you stay in Charlottesville a little longer. I'll show you around myself. Maybe we can go get a few drinks and enjoy being young."

It dawned on Steve fairly quickly that the woman was practically throwing herself at him.

"Uh…I'm sorry ma'am. I should get back home. My fiancée probably wont be happy when I get home."

"You don't seem like the kind of guy that would be engaged at such a young age."

"Trust me, I'm much older than I look. I'll be going now."

Steve threw some money on the table and smiled at the young woman as he got back on his bike and sped away. He was fully expecting on finding Natasha when he got home and apologizing. Little did he know that by this time Natasha was long gone.

* * *

Natasha was gone. The black widow was back and in full action. This seemed to happen whenever Natasha was in too much pain, she shuts down. It happened after Alexei, and Bucky and Barton. It was happening now. Its weird how love is the one thing that can bring Natasha down. She considered herself to be strong, to have no weaknesses. She was obviously wrong because at this very moment she had never felt so weak.

She sat in the back of the jet, speeding off to her destination with a look of determination on her eyes.

"This is what happens when you let yourself love, you get hurt."

She whispered to herself before she began to prepare for drop off.

"love is for children. I am no child, I never was."


	30. Chapter 30

The sun was just barely coming up when Steve pulled into the Avengers tower parking lot. He didn't even make it out into the garage before he heard Tony's music blasting through the tower. He made it to Tonys lab fairly quickly to find Tony fast asleep on his couch and Bruce asleep at a desk with ear plugs in.

"Jarvis can you please turn the music off."

The music immediately stopped and Tony jolted awake,

"I was listening to that!...Rogers."

"Stark, wheres Nat?"

"That's a great question, I've been trying to find the answer to that question."

"What do you mean?"

"She left, not long after you did. I figured S.H.I.E.L.D had sent her on a mission, that's what she told us but I already hacked S.H.I.E.L.D. I have no idea where she is."

"Why would she leave?"

Bruce moved and answered the question that no one else could answer.

"Before you left Natasha and I had a conversation about everyone leaving her. She probably couldn't handle you leaving her. She shut down the second you rode away. She's in no condition to be going anywhere, her body still hasn't recovered. But at this rate she'll die of a broken heart before anything else. We need to find her, you need to make things okay. Tony already has every camera in the world looking for her. Clint went to S.H.I.E.L.D late last night, trying to think of places she would be. Thor should be coming back from New Mexico tomorrow."

Steve took only seconds to process.

"How do I help?"

"You figure out how to make her see that you are in this for the long run."

Clint walked into the room, barely glancing at Steve.

"She doesn't wanna be found. Its best to just give her some space, If she's not back in a month I say we go through hell to get Tash back."

"A month?"

"Fine Steve, two weeks. Seeing as this is the black widow we're dealing with and not Natasha I guess we should be more cautious."

The pain on Steve's face was obvious but it was clear that Clint was blaming Steve for Natasha's disappearance and he was not in a forgiving mood.

"I have to get back to headquarters. They need me on a mission, I'll be back before the end of the week. Tell the big guy I say hi when he gets here tomorrow."

Clint was gone before anyone could say anything. The room was filled with Tony's music again soon and Bruce put his ear plugs back in. Steve just shook his head and headed to the gym.

* * *

Natasha took down a group of guards outside the house she was trying to get access to. The man inside did not seem alarmed to see her.

"Я ожидал увидеть вас раньше, Наталья. Или я должен сказать Наташе? Ведь ты предатель, я должен говорить английски с вами, вы потеряли право считаться русским."

_(I had expected to see you sooner Natalia. Or should i say Natasha? After all you are a traitor, I should be speaking english to you, you have lost your right to be considered Russian_.)

"Мой России это хорошо. Вы знаете, почему я здесь. Где он?"

(_My russian is fine. You know why i'm here. Where is he?_)

He answered in English, his Russian accent bleeding thickly into his words.

"Why don't you sit down. Let us think on old times and remember the good old times."

"There are no good old times. I have no interest in working for red room, or recalling any events from that time. Where is James."

"Now why would I tell you Natalia. What good would that do me?"

"I might let you live."

A smile played on the lips of the old man.

"Why do you want to find the soldier. That ring on your finger leads me to believe that he has moved on."

Natasha face did not alter.

"Where is he?"

The old man simply smiled as Natasha stepped forward and powered up her widow bites.

"where is he?"

The old mans smile faltered as Natasha got closer and showed no signs of stopping.

"he's here. In Moscow."

Natasha smiled but continued to walk forward.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

"will you not spare my life? Have you no remorse Natalia?"

"No, you took that away from me the moment you lit my parents house on fire and took me to that horrible place."

He was gone in seconds.

Natasha walked out of his house and into the town not far away. She knew there was someone following her. She knew who it was.

"You know James, it's creepy to follow a lady."

"It's a good thing youre no lady Natalia. You came back to me."

"I never left, you did. I'm not here for me. I'm here for Steve."

"Steve? Rogers?"

"Captain America himself. Although I'm not quite sure if he wants to see you right now."

James nodded towards the bar down the streets and offered Natasha his arm but she walked by.

"Natasha…do you know who Steve is to me?"

"Your best friend? I know it all. I know him very well."

"I doubt that. Steve isn't one for casual sex."

"who said anything about casual sex."

James looked at her oddly as he opened the door for her.

"so you two are friends?"

"engaged."

James stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. The feelings he had for Natasha were real, and still strong. But Steve…that was a name he had never expected to hear again. He had remembered not too long ago, his amnesia was getting better, his memories were coming back.

"If you're…engaged to Steve. What are you doing here? How long have you been here?"

"I've been here nearly 2 weeks. And my reason is none of your business."

Before Bucky could respond he noticed someone watching them from the end of the bar. His fingers wrapped around Natasha arm as he pulled her away.

"Theres someone here. Watching us."

"I know, I saw her the moment we walked in. That's Maria Hill, she works for my agency."

They both noticed that Bucky was still holding onto Natasha, the cool metal of Bucky's arm was so familiar. Natasha turned and walked towards Maria.

"Agent Romanoff. You are needed in Venezuela. The rest of the Avengers are being called in. A small group seems to have gotten a hold of dangerous chemicals and machinery. We want to put a stop to this before it goes wrong and any innocent lives are lost. You are to come with me tonight. I'll be waiting in the car out back. Don't take long."

Natasha nodded and walked back to Bucky.

"I'm leaving, duty calls."

"I miss you Natasha."

"I know, I miss you too. Come with me. Be the good guy."

"I don't know if I can."

"James, if I can be good so can you. Easily."

"I don't think your people would be very pleased if you brought me in."

"Come for me… come for Steve. Just meet us there."

"How will I know where you are."

"you always know. You know how to find me no matter where I am."

James nodded.

"we'll see."

Natasha met Maria in the dark car.

_He always know how to find me. He just never even bothered trying._

"Will Captain Rogers be there?"

Someone spoke up from the front seat.

"You bet he will princess. Good to see you, gotta say you look like shit."

"What are you doing here Tony."

"just thought I'd catch you up on what has happened at casa de Avengers."

"Doesn't matter."

"yes it does Peaches. We have been looking for you nonstop. Steve would have gone gray of he could."

"Steve?"

"He came back only hours after you left. Realized he messed up. He came back looking for you so he could apologize."

"He came back?"

"He came back Tasha. Hear him out, he loves you. What you two have isnt worth throwing away. I have your wedding pretty much planned, don't make me scrap it."

Natasha chuckled and shook her head. She let out another chuckle when Tony climbed from the passengers seat into the back seat. He put his around her shoulders and pulled her in.

"Sleep honey. You're looking too thin, I miss those gorgeous curves."

Natasha shook her head and cuddled into Tony falling asleep almost instantly. Steve had come back for her, he still loved her.


	31. Chapter 31

"Natasha, we're here."

"at the jet?"

"no, in Venezuela."

"what?"

"I carried you into the jet, you slept all the way here. When was the last time you actually slept."

"good night of sleep? When I was in a coma. Slept at all, the night before Steve left. I've been getting like an hour of sleep a night."

"oh peaches, you're destroying yourself."

"That says a lot coming from you Stark."

"Shut up, and get your suit on."

Natasha smiled and got up, stretching out her stiff muscles and slipping into her catsuit and attempting to hide her dark circles.

"you know that catsuit used to fit you a little more snug. You've lost some weight."

"yeah, I haven't had much of an appetite lately. That added to the lack of sleep and some stress."

"you know youre gorgeous babe, but you look like shit."

"thanks Tony, love you too."

Tony suited up and got a secure hold on Natasha.

"we're flying down the rest of the way. Meeting the team in a small remote place, kicking some ass and getting back home for drink and food."

Natasha smirked and brushed her hand over her engagement ring as they took off. It only took several minutes to make it down to the small camp the rest of the team had already set up. As soon as they landed Steve stepped forward, sans his mask.

"Natasha, please, you need to know that I love you more than anything in this world because you are my world. Leaving you was the worst mistake I've ever made and…"

Steve's speech was cut short by Natasha pulling him into her and kissing him passionately.

"I love you too, but maybe we can talk about this later."

There was clapping heard from some distance.

"You know Stevie, I always figured I was more of a ladies man, never pegged you as the kind to marry little Natalia."

Steve froze in place as he looked up and saw James Barnes stairing back at him, the metal arm drawing his attention right away.

"Bucky."

"Hey buddy, long time no see."

Natasha nudged Steve towards Bucky as she walked toward Clint. Once she reached him, he instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him.

"I missed you Nat. You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry."

"Don't do it again."

Everyone had turned around to give James and Steve some privacy. Thor and Bruce both took their turns welcoming Natasha back.

"You feeling alright Nat?"

"I'm fine Bruce. I'll even let you run some tests to make sure when we get home."

"You are finally coming home Lady Natasha?"

"Yeah Thor, it's about time"

Clint walked over and wrapped his arms around Natasha's waist. They we're talking about their strategy when they saw movement in the woods near them. Clint had his bow out, Thor raised his hammer and Steve, Natasha and James we're in fighting poses. James and Natasha both chased after the movement. It didn't take them long to reach a small cave. They saw a young man run inside, his gun waving freely in his hand.

"He's holding his gun wrong, he has no idea what he's doing."

"Why does that matter Natalia."

Steve and the rest of the Avengers ran up behind them as Natasha puzzled over her answer.

"Alright Clint, you Thor and Banner stay out here ready to charge in any second. Stark fly over head and see if theres anything important we need to know, maybe theres another way out. Nat, you come with me, we're getting inside…James, come with us."

James smiled and followed Natasha and Steve into the cave. There was almost utter silence inside. Almost. Natasha and Steve's superior hearing allowed them to hear metal clanking coming from deeper within the cave. Steve took the lead and lead them to a small chamber, the smell was overwhelming.

"Banner, we might need you in here not as the Hulk…just as a genius."

"did you find the chemicals?"

"yes sir."  
Natasha rolled her eyes at Steve as he called Bruce sir. There was soft whispers outside the door. The same young man that they had previously seen walked in followed by someone who looked even younger. Before he could yell out James had snapped his neck. The younger boy stood shocked.

"Kid, don't scream or youre gonna end up the same way your little friend did. Now why don't you help me out?"

He simply stared and nodded. Steve was stairing at Bucky as well.

"How many men are here."

"I don't know. I've never counted."

"guess"

"200? Maybe more."

"what is going on here."

"I don't know. I'm just here for security."

"you don't know anything at all?"

"Well, I overheard one of the guys saying that the weapons were almost ready. And something about poisonous gas. That's all I know, I swear."

"Alright kid get out of here."

As the kid turned around James snapped his neck as well.

"Don't look so surprised Natalia. You know we cant have any lose ends, don't tell me you've gone soft."

"I haven't gone soft. I just try not to kill unless its necessary."

James snorted as he walked further into the room. Steve called for Banner again, telling the rest of the avengers to meet them there. They had been well informed by S.H.I.E.L.D to take care of everyone there.

"we're already outside the door captain. Just waiting for you."

Steve nodded towards Natasha and James and they followed him out. Bruce walked in to take a look at the chemicals and Clint stood guard as the rest of the avengers followed Steve to where more noise was coming from. There were lines of Guards seemingly waiting for intruders. The first one to notice them was down in seconds at the hands of Bucky. As the rest of the Avengers kept on fighting Steve and Tony went into the area that the men were guarding. The room was full of scientists and men working at tables, the shock on their faces was evident. They felt the room shake as Thor got angry and got rid of the majority of men. Natasha ran into the room after Tony and Steve. Some scientists we're trying to run away but Natasha and Steve kept knocking them out as Tony took care of some of the guards that we're entering the room. They we're soon joined by Clint, James, Thor and Bruce. The majority of the men were knocked out, some we're cowering.

"Well, looks like we're done here. Stark, call S.H.I.E.L.D."

James looked at them.

"I should get going."

"You can stay Bucky."

"No, I should go. I don't belong here, I may have at one point, but I cant remember that time anymore. Good luck with everything Steve, you've stayed a good man. Good luck with Natalia."

He hugged Steve and dropped a kiss on Natasha's head as he walked away. When Bucky was out of sight they heard footsteps at a dark corner of the cave. A short, plump man, dressed very nicely looked at them, examining each avenger. They all stepped forward but the man simply smashed a glass vial before picking up a gun off a table and taking his own life. They all heard Bruce yell at them to run away but smoke filled the room before anyone could process anything. Natasha felt herself being pushed out by several strong hands. There were several explosions going off, the sound of rock crumbling was heard.

"RUN!"

Tony urged them all as he lit the way, Thor was swirling his hammer to clear the air a little. Bruce had hulked out and was trying to block any of the chemicals from reaching the other avengers. Steve and Clint seemed to be shielding Natasha from anything. By the time they made it to the end of the cave, S.H.I.E.L.D was landing, a plethora of S.H.I.E.L.D workers immediately began sealing off the cave. The Avengers we're taken onto the aircraft and immediately asked to strip off their uniforms. Bruce had de-hulked and was already in a decontamination shower. Thor followed suit as did Tony, part of his helmet had smashed during one of the explosions and had cut a gash in his forehead but other than that he seemed fine. Steve and Clint we're both lightheaded and coughing, they, as well as Natasha we're struggling to peel off their uniforms, they were sticking to their skin. As they tried to take off their tight uniforms they peeled off skin. All three of them we're taken to the showers, soaking their uniforms before continuing to take the rest off. Steve and Clint we're attached to machines after their showers to help them breathe and get all the toxins out. The rest of them were attached as well although Tony, Thor and Bruce seemed to not have been affected by the chemicals. They all had some cuts and bruises from the explosion but luckily they seemed to be fine for the most part.

Natasha scolded Clint and Steve for risking their lives to keep her safe and ended her rant by kissing each one on the cheek.

"Nat, calm down. Why don't we just focus on getting home and getting some rest, food and clothes."

Natasha looked at Bruce, finally noticing that they were all covered with only the blankets they had been given. They sighed and leaned back in her seat, admitting defeat. She fell asleep once Thor sat down next to her, his body heat providing her comfort. The sounds of Clint's and Steve's oxygen machines rung in her head.


	32. Chapter 32

When Natasha woke up to a dark room. She could feel warmth radiating from Steves body laying next to her. He looked exhausted and completely at peace. As soon as she pulled away he frowned a little before rolling over. Natasha got up and walked to the bathroom to shower, when she got out she realized just how thin she looked. Her cheeks were sunken in and her usually vibrant red hair looked dull and limp. She pulled it up and got dressed in Steve's clothes. She had missed that smell enveloping her in the weeks that she had been gone. Once she walked out and reached the kitchen she saw Clint asleep on the couch in the living room. There was left over Chinese in the fridge that Natasha took back to her room. She ate and relaxed until Steve woke up. It was still dark out when he did.

"What time is it?"

"a little past 4. You've been out for about 18 hours, maybe a little more."

"Wow, so I wasted the day?"

"I'd say it was a well earned nap."

"I wasted time that I could have had with you."

"I'm right here Steve, and I'm not leaving any time soon. I'd miss you too much."

"I missed you so much Nat. I'm sorry for leaving…"

"You needed to think. The important thing is that you came back to me, I missed you every second while we were apart."

Natasha cuddled up to Steve, treasuring every moment she had with him.

It wasn't until noon that they left their bedroom, looking slightly flustered and disheveled. Clint was awake on the couch, still in his pajamas along with the rest of the avengers.

"looks like someone was getting it on…actually we heard that someone was getting it on. You two kind of suck at closing the door completely."

Steve turned bright red as Natasha pushed Tony off his seat.

"Why am I being bullied? Its not my fault I'm just being honest."

"Have some decency Tony."

"Take your own advice Tash."

She rolled her eyes and went to the kitchen where Thor was devouring his food.

"Banner has prepared a feast for us."

Natasha looked at Bruce as she took in the pasta in the pot.

"It's not exactly a feast Thor."

Natasha smiled at Steve and thanked him as she served herself and Steve plates. Steve smiled at her as she handed him his plate and took her seat between him and Clint.

"Its good to have you back Peaches."

"Its good to be back Stark."

"Now I believe we have a wedding to plan don't we."

Natasha smirked as she allowed him to pull up pictures of possible venues.

* * *

"Nat, don't you think Stark is going a little crazy? You've been back for 3 months and he's already changed your wedding around 6 times."

"we already know he's crazy Clint, besides I have final say in what happens. I'm actually thinking of going down to his lab right now and tell him what my plans are. Care to join?"

"yes please."

As soon as they walked into Tonys lab Natasha got a sour look on her face.

"Jesus Tony what is that smell?"

Both men looked at her as if she had gone insane.

"What smell?"

She walked forward and sniffed Tony and quickly backed away.

"That stench you have on you."

"I've been wearing this cologne for months now little red, you must be going crazy."

Natasha rolled her eyes but stayed away as she began to explain her plans. Once she finished Clint and Tony were looking at her awestruck.

"I would not have guessed any of that for you little Red. But I can have that ready in several hours so you and Capsicle just have to set a date."

"Just give me the total."

Tony snorted at her and shook his head.

"Like I'm actually gonna let you pay. Think of this as your wedding present."

"but.."

Clint placed his hand over Natasha mouth and dragged her away.

"Don't argue with Tony. Arguing with him never ends well."

Tony smirked as she allowed herself to be pulled away. Once they made it up the stairs to the main floor where Steve and Bruce were reading Clint let go of Natasha.

"You alright honey? You look a little out of breath."

"I'm fine Steve."

"were you guys working out?"

Clint shook his head no as he did a once over at Natasha, looking slightly confused.

"I think I'm just take a nap. I'm exhausted."

She walked over and laid down on the couch, resting her head on Steves lap.

"Tony wants us to set a date. For the wedding."

"If I could marry you right now I would Natasha. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want that life to start now."

Natasha looked up and smiled.

"Would you think I was crazy if I said this weekend? I have the dress ready, and I told Tony about what we wanted."

Steve smiled that beautiful smile where it lit up his face and kissed Natasha.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes Miss Romanoff?"

"Will you please tell Tony that Saturday sounds like a good day?"

"Yes Miss Romanoff, right away."

She snuggled into Steve and was asleep in no time.

"Has Nat been feeling alright?"

"She's been tired but other than that she seems fine."

Bruce spoke up.

"I'll run some tests if she doesn't get her energy back up."

"thanks Bruce."

Bruce smiled at Steve and took a quick glance at the sleeping girl before going back to his book.

* * *

sorry I've been gone for so long. I've written this chapter over at least 4 time but I dont know why it kept getting deleted. What do you think is wrong with Natasha. Give me your ideas and suggestions. Reviews are always welcome :)

on an unrelated note I got into all my top colleges! YAY


	33. Chapter 33

"You look beautiful Natasha"

Natasha looked back at Clint and smiled. Her vibrant red hair was curled to perfection and a small veil was placed on it. Her lace dress was timeless, kind of like the man she was marrying.

"Are you ready."

"I've never been more ready for anything in my life."

"You know, I've always figured it would be you and me."

Natasha chuckled and walked over to him, fixing his tie.

"So did I, however you will play a large part in my wedding."

Clint laughed as he held her bouquet.

"I cant believe youre actually having me your maid of honor. I am man."

Natasha giggled as Tony walked in.

"Bruce and Thor are with Steve."

Thor was Steve's best man and Bruce was officiating the ceremony.

"Hey Stark."

"Yeah princess."

"I was wondering if you could…"

"Nat, youre mumbling."

"I was wondering if you could walk me down the isle."

Tony's face was one of shock. He pulled Natasha into his arms and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"I would be honored little red."

Natasha smiled and laughed when Clint pretended to brush away a tear. Pepper walked down and told them it was time. Music was heard in the background. Clint left right before Tony and Natasha taking one last look at Natasha.

It was a small ceremony. Only the Avengers, Fury, Pepper, Jane, Selvig, Darcy and several S.H.I.E.L.D officials. Bucky snuck in as well, a small smirk on his face. Before the ceremony started Steve walked over and dragged Bucky to stand next to him and Thor. The music started and Clint walked down the isle. Tony and Natasha followed, everyones jaw dropped as they took in Natasha. She looked like a classic bride, a smile on her face that she rarely shared with others. Once she reached the altar Tony handed her off to Steve and the ceremony began. There was a moment of silence as everyone took a glance at the empty seat at the very front that would have belonged to Phil Coulson. The ceremony continued, there was not a dry eye in the room as a spy who everyone thought was not capable of love and the man out of time bound their lives together and showed their love for each other.

"I do"

….

"I do"

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Steve dipped Natasha as he kissed her and everyone stood clapping.

"I love you Steve."

"I love you too mrs. Rogers.

* * *

The majority of you guessed what was happening, now i'm just wondering whether i should take the same route i took in chapter 19 or not.

Also, would you guys rather have more frequent, shorter chapters or longer less frequent chapters?


	34. Chapter 34

Natasha leaned into Steve as they swayed in the elaborate room ballroom that Tony had decorated. Clint and Darcy were swaying next to them as well as Tony and Pepper.

"So what now mrs. Rogers?"

"a week in Bali, followed by a week in Boracay and lastly a trip to Bora Bora. Then we can come home and take care of the children."

She nodded at Tony and smiled.

"Are you all packed."

"Yeah, and ready as every to spend the rest of my life with you."

Steve smiled and kissed the top of her head as the speeches started. They laughed and cried but they held each others hand the entire way.

"I'm proud of you capsicle. Making a decent woman out of little red."

Tony, Thor and Bruce were helping Steve put luggage into the jet. Natasha walked past with Clint, smacking Tony as she made her way to the jet. She stopped to hug and kiss each of the Avengers before climbing on the jet. Steve joined her in a matter of minutes and took his seat next to her.

"You look tired Steve, You should sleep, its been a long night"

"best night of my life."

Natasha smiled and leaned into her husband before falling asleep. The first thing she felt when she walked out of the plane was the warm humid air. The sun shine was vibrant and threw her off a little.

"Welcome to Bali Mr and Mrs. Rogers."

Natasha smiled and looked up at Steve. Their bags were being brought into their villa and they followed.

"I don't know about you Tash but I think a nice relaxing day would be great."

"Then get your bathing suit and I'll meet you on the beach."

She pranced into their villa and grabbed her stuff before running into the bathroom. By the time she came back out Steve was already in the water. She came out in her white bathing suit and joined Steve.

"Hi baby."

"Hey Nat, care for a swim?"

She nodded and went under water. It didn't take long until Natasha was out of the water and resting on the beach.

"tired already?"

"just a little."

Steve frowned at her until she leaned up for a kiss and untied her bikini straps. He raised his eyebrow.

"I don't want bikini lines."

Natasha smiled and turned over, resting on her stomach. By the time the sun was going down Steve and Natasha went out to eat, when they came back to their villa, they celebrated their first real night as newlyweds. The next few weeks were spent snorkeling, hiking, swimming, and enjoying the time they had together. On the last day in Bora Bora Natasha pulled on her bikini top but had difficulty making it fit right.

"Steve, can you come in here please."

"yeah?"

"Can you help me try to tie this top, it wont fit."

Steve did his best to tie it but Natasha ended up just pulling a tank top over it. When they finished packing Natasha took a good look at Steve. His skin was very tan, nearly golden. She didn't look much different. He usual pale skin had a nice golden touch to it, her curves were also growing, even though she hadn't been eating more.

"Are you ready to go back home?"

"Yeah, I hope the kids wont have caused too much damage to the tower."

Steve snorted and finished packing everything up.

"I think you should let Bruce give you a check up when we get home."

"I'm fine."

"Natasha please, just do it to keep me sane."

Natasha rolled her eyes but nodded at Steve. She got up and followed Steve out of their villa and into the car that would take them to the awaiting jet. They took one last look at the beautiful scenery before climbing into the jet and getting back to reality. The flight back to Stark Tower seemed short. Mainly because they slept the entire time. When they got back to the tower, all the avengers were up and waiting for them. Clint was the first to embrace Natasha.

"Holy mother of tits, look at these babies."

Steve smacked Clint as he said hello to everyone else. Clint was still stairing at Natasha but he was looking just a little lower than her breasts.

"Bruce, take Natasha for a checkup…now."

The strength in Clints voice allowed no one to argue. Bruce grabbed a hold of Natasha and led her to his lab right away. It didn't take long for everyone to figure out what Clint had suspected.

"Natasha…youre pregnant."

* * *

you guys guessed right! however things may go down a little differently than they did last time ;) thank you so much to ym4yum1 for all your feedback and help. And the rest of you guys who write reviews, you are the reason I keep writing :)


	35. Chapter 35

"Bruce, that isnt funny."

"Its not a joke Natasha, youre pregnant."

"run the test again."

"but…"

"Run it!"

Bruce ran it over 6 times but no one said anything. Steve stood by her ready to grab a hold of her.

"But this isn't possible. I can't do this. Not again."

"does this mean youre going to…terminate the pregnancy?"

"no…I…I don't know. Can I just talk to Steve?"

Bruce nodded as he ushered the other men out of the room.

"what are we gonna do Steve?"

"I don't know Nat, Its up to you."

"no it isn't, youre my husband. You have to help me make this decision."

"You know what my stance on abortion is Tash, but I know what you had to go through the last time. I never want to have you go through that again."

Natasha was silent for some time.

"can we go to bed please?"

Steve nodded and wrapped an arm around her as they headed to their bedroom. She didn't even bother grabbing pajamas, she simply got undressed and laid in bed, allowing Steve to curl up around her.

"I don't think I can do this."

Steve's breath hitched.

"but I know I have to try. This could be it. Maybe if we're extra careful this time around…maybe."

"so…"

"I want us to try."

Steve finally relaxed into her and draped his arm over her, casually dropping a hand on her stomach. Natasha snuggled into Steve and promptly fell asleep, not even realizing that her hand moved to rest on his.

The next morning Steve was up at sunrise, Natasha would usually join him but she refused to get out of bed.

"I'm going for a run."

"alright, can you get me a burger on your way back?"

"Nat, its 6 am."

"I know, but by the time you come back it'll be like 11, and a burger sounds really good."

Steve snickered and nodded as he kissed Natashas forehead and left, before he made it out of the room Natasha sprang out of bed and ran to the bathroom.

"you alright baby?"

"I have to pee!"

He laughed and walked out. Only Bruce was awake in the kitchen making tea. He took in the smile and Steves face and instantly understood the decision that they had come to.

"Good morning Steve."

"Morning Bruce. I'm going for a run, I'll be back later. Actually I'm stopping somewhere for a burger later, do you want anything."

"sure, get me whatever your having. You should probably get some for the rest of the guys too."

"I was planning on it. I'll see you in a bit."

Before 11 the avengers started trickling in one by one until Natasha was the only one missing.

"So Brucie, have you heard anything from Steve and Natasha?"

Bruce tried to stay neutral faced but he smirked slightly making everyone cheer. Natasha walked into the kitchen at that moment taking in the sight of 4 fully grown men squealing. She shook her head and continued to walk towards them, taking a seat between Clint and Tony and leaning into her old partner. She was about to take a sip of his coffee but stopped herself and took the tea that Bruce had prepare for her.

"so I know its probably still a sensitive subject but can we name him Tony jr."

Natasha put her face in her hand and started to giggle.

"We'll talk about it."

Tony smiled and kissed the top of her head before getting up to serve himself some more coffee.

"Why isn't Steve back yet, its 11:02."

"when he say he would be back Lady Natasha?"

"11."

Clint laughed right in Natashas face but he stopped very quickly when she glared at him, the look in her eyes was deadly. The elevator rang.

"sorry I'm late, the food took a little long getting ready."

He gave everyone their meals and kissed Natasha before going to take a shower. It didn't take him long to come back and take a seat with the rest of the group.

"Alright guys, we need to talk seriously."

"Alrighty, proceed Brucie."

Bruce glared at Tony before continuing.

"Now that I'm guessing you two are going through with the pregnancy-"

He looked at Steve and Natasha as they nodded.

"-we need to be very careful. Natasha, you are not to strain yourself at all in anyway. You take care of yourself and relax. Anything you feel you get one of us, I don't care if its something as small as a slight headache, you tell someone. You will be eating healthy, no caffeine of any form. We're going to do this as perfectly as possible. It's a family effort."

Natasha smiled when he used the word family and nodded. The rest of the guy in the room were nodding as well.

"That means Tony will have to try to stop annoying me."

"I am not annoying peaches, youre just always cranky!"

All it took is a glare from Bruce for Tony to be silenced.

"Well now that that's settled why don't we all go to the pool to enjoy the last few days of summer. I'm gonna miss this heat. Then after that I'll run some more tests on Nat and we can have a nice night in to welcome you two back from your honeymoon. How was that by the way?"

The smirk on Natasha and Steve's faces gave them away, Tony and Clint spoke at the same time.

"You spent a lot of time on your back didn't you Nat."

Steve punched them both as he helped Natasha out of her seat and towards their bedroom.

"Hey Bruce, you never told me how far along I am."

"almost 3 months, I'm surprised it took this long for us to be able to tell."

"well, we've been wanting to get you checked out for a while, you've just been reluctant."

She gave a smile before walking inside to grab her bathing suit. Natasha grabbed bathing suit that she knew to be a little big on her and slipped it on, it fit perfectly. Her ruby red bikini looked beautiful against her tan skin. There wasn't a prominent curve to her stomach yet but she could almost feel herself changing.

"You coming Tash? I have the towels and sunscreen."

She nodded and followed Steve out to the pool, dipping in the water nearly right away. They stayed outside for some time, laughter was the only thing that was actually heard.

That night Natasha lay her head on Steve's chest, his chest was slowly rising and falling.

"We'll make it through this. Everything is gonna be fine, I'll make sure of it."

Steve saw the fire in her eyes and he knew that Natasha was gonna fight for her child, and Natasha never loses.


	36. Chapter 36

"Clint!"

Clint ran into Natasha's room at an impressive pace, slightly panicked. Her voice sounded more angry than it did scared or sad.

"What? Whats wrong Nat?"

She looked downright furious. The look on her face terrified Clint.

"Did you shrink my clothes in the laundry again? Everything shrunk!"

Clint couldn't help bursting into laughter, he laughed so hard he doubled over.

"What part of this do you think is funny Barton? It'll be funny once I rip your spleen out!"

He tried to stop laughing and wipe the tear that were freely rolling down his cheeks away.

"Nat, I didn't."

"then who did?"

"you did."

"what are you talking about Barton."

He tried to sit up.

"The clothes didn't shrink, nothing had shrunk. As a matter of fact, you've grown."

She looked at him with puzzled eyes. He saw them change from confusion to understanding. Her hands dropped to her stomach. They both looked down at her stomach as she pulled up the shirt she was wearing. It was clear, a bump was prominently sticking out.

"How the fuck did we miss that? It's huge"

Natasha glared at him but she couldn't keep the smile off her face. She slipped on a pair of flats and raced out of the room to the gym where the other avengers were residing. Bruce waiting for Natasha to do yoga, Tony was boxing with Steve and Thor was lifting weights.

"Steve!"

Steve turned, allowing Tony to get a good punch in.

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head and pulled up her loose shirt revealing her belly.

"Did this happen overnight?"

Steve slipped off his boxing gloves and slid out of the ring, reaching Natasha and instantly placing his hand on her stomach and his smile widened.

"guess what this means?"

"what?"

"we get to go shopping?"

His smile turned into a pout.

"do I have to?"

"you wouldn't want me carrying any heavy bags would you?"

She had a twinkle in her eye as she slipped off her shirt to be in just a sports bra and tights as she joined Bruce by the yoga mats. After a relaxing workout Steve and Natasha went out for lunch followed by some shopping. In the first store they went to, every woman seemed to gravitate towards Steve. Natasha just rolled her eyes and began looking through the clothes.

"honey what do you think about this?"

She held up a dress and looked up to see Steve's terrified face. The women around him must be complimenting him and making him uncomfortable. Natasha walked over and grabbed onto him, pulling him towards the dressing rooms. She had a pile of clothing waiting in the dressing room to try on. They were there for hours. It was a good thing Steve had gone along with her because there were plenty of heavy bags to be carried. In fact, after stopping for dinner and dessert and going back to the tower, Steve had to carry Natasha out of the car. She was completely knocked out. Tony was mixing himself a drink at the bar.

"She alright?"

"Yeah, just exhausted. She's been on her feet all day."

Tony nodded and allowed Steve to carry Natasha into their bedroom. When he came back out Clint had joined Tony at the bar.

"So Natashas at four months."

Steve's eyes turned dark when Tony pointed that out. The last night, horrible things had happened at four months and that was what everyone was scared of. Even Natasha was terrified but she wouldn't admit to it.

"Hows she doing?"

"She's good, determined. She made me stop by a toy store today to pick up a teddy bear and by a paint store to look at some colors for a baby room."

They all got silent, everybody was hoping for the best, but they all knew there was a very large possibility that this could end badly quickly. Jarvis interrupted their silence.

"Mr. Stark, Mrs. Rogers is requesting a ben and jerrys ice cream. To be exact she said "make it chocolate therapy or else.""

"Why isn't she bugging her husband for it."

"she responded "because I actually like him, and he's the one in charge of my midnight cravings, unless you would like to be responsible for those.""

Tony rolled his eyes but grabbed his wallet and walked out of the room, presumably to the grocery store. Steve made some tea and Clint grabbed a bowl and chopped up some banana slices and put the bowl in the freezer as well as some green grapes, Steve looked at him questioningly.

"Its what Tasha like to eat with chocolate therapy ice cream."

Steve nodded and took the tea back to his room for Natasha. Clint simply stayed back and fixed his own plate of frozen fruit as well as a drink and took them to the roof with him.

Back in Natasha and Steve's room Natasha was sipping on the tea that Steve had brought her as she waited for her ice cream. Steve was putting away the clothes she had bought that day.

"You don't have to do that Steve, I'll get it tomorrow."

"It's no problem. How are you feeling."

She took another sip of her tea before smiling and answering.

"I'm feeling good. This little bugger is constantly pressing on my bladder, but I feel good."

Steve smiled as he pulled a little teddy bear out of one of the bags. He placed it on their bed and grabbed a blanket from the linen closet. Natasha got out of bed and ran into the bathroom. When she came back out Steve was adding blankets on their bed.

"Its really feeling like fall, getting really cold."

Steve noticed how stiff the conversation Natasha was making was so he took her in his arms and led her to bed.

"Whats on your mind?"

"what if the same thing happens again. What if I can't do this?"

"Natasha, you are a beautiful, strong, incredible woman. You can do this, we can do this. This baby is going to have the most beautiful amazing mother who is going to love them unconditionally. We can do this Nat, we'll do it together. I love you and I believe in you. I'm going to do anything I can to make sure this family stays together and happy."

Natasha pushed her face into Steve's strong chest and allowed herself a few moments of weakness before leaning up to capture his lips. Steve pulled her into his body and seemed to have no intention of letting go. However they were interrupted by a very loud billionaire.

"Ice cream with frozen green grapes and bananas for a cranky pregnant woman."

Natasha stuck her tongue out at Tony but happily took the bowl.

"Thanks Stark."

"youre welcome princess."

Instead of leaving Tony hopped on the bed and rested his feet on Steve's legs.

"Jarvis, tell the guys that theres a party in the lovebirds room. "

Natasha rolled her eyes as she got out of bed once again to grab clothes to sleep in and stepped into the bathroom to change, taking her ice cream with her. Tony laughed as Thor ran into the room carrying several pillows and poptarts. Bruce followed looking slightly confused as to why they were present and finally Clint dropped from the vents with snacks. By the time Natasha walked out of the bathroom in pajama pants and one of Steve's shirts, there were four grown men laying in her bed, only Steve looked slightly annoyed. Natasha was still eating her ice cream as she laid down against Steve's chest.

"Jarvis, play a comedy. Not too funny though, I know pregnant women struggle to control their bladders."

"Youre an asshole Stark."

"Love you too princess."

Natasha threw a pillow at Tony, causing him to fall off the bed. They all settled in the bed to watch whatever bad comedy that Tony had picked out. The room was silent until Natasha let out a small whimper. Everyone looked alarmed as they noticed her hands fly up to her stomach. They all panicked but a small stretched across Natashas face as she pulled Steve's hands up onto her stomach in time for him to feel a small flutter under his hands. It wasn't long before there we're several hands lining up to touch and the baby didn't disappoint. Each time a new palm pressed on Natasha's belly, the baby kicked, hard.

"Alright, that's enough. I'm being beat up."

Steve laughed and kissed Natasha's belly. She got up to go to the bathroom.

"Steve, this kid is trying to get all the liquid out of my body."

He chuckled and got up to get her a water bottle.

"You two hurry up and get back here! We need to finish this movie."

"Yeah Stark, I'll be there in a minute."

"Not soon enough!"

When Natasha came back she threw another pillow at Tony and rested against Clint, falling asleep almost instantly. Steve walked back in the room and took a look at his family. Not just Natasha and his baby, but the entire group on his bed.

When Clint woke up the next morning, he realized the positions that they were all in. Natasha was asleep on his chest with Steve close behind her. Thor was sprawled across their feet with Bruce using one of his calves as a pillow. Tony had nearly half the bed to himself but he was still resting an arm on Steve and a leg on Bruce.

"Jarvis, get a picture of this please."

"As you wish Mr. Barton."

It didn't take long for Natasha to get up because she needed to pee, and Steve waking up as well. Bruce woke up, leaving Thor and Tony asleep on the bed. Steve joined Natasha in the shower while Clint and Bruce went to make breakfast and shower in their own rooms. When Natasha and Steve walked out of their bathrooms they realized that Tony had rolled to practically cuddle with Thor.

"Jarvis project this video so that Bruce and Clint can see this. Also record and take pictures."

"Yes Mrs. Rogers. Would you like me to print out pictures Mrs. Rogers?"

"Yes please, thank you Jarvis."

Natasha giggled before grabbing a pair of flats and walking out.

"My feet are swelling."

"Does that mean we have to go shoe shopping?"

Natasha laughed at the look on Steves face before shaking her head.

"I'll invite Pepper…Can we go for a walk? And get soft serve?"

Steve nodded and went to grab their jackets. Natasha went to eat breakfast real quick before leaving. Clint had already served her breakfast.

"You look like such a cute innocent pregnant lady."

Natasha flipped him off before smirking. Her baby doll dress made it very evident that she was hiding a baby bump, but even with the loose dress she was still slightly showing.

"You ready to go honey?"

Natasha nodded and hopped off the counter, joining Steve at the elevator. He draped a jacket around her shoulders and took her hand.

"I'll see you guys later."

Natasha snuggled into Steve. The chilly autumn air was welcomed. Steve wrapped an arm around Natasha to keep her warm as they made their way to central park, stopping for soft serve.

"I love you beautiful."

"I love you too Steve, more than anything."

He pulled her in for a deep kiss, letting his feelings pour into the kiss. She could feel kiss love in that kiss and so could their baby. It chose that second to kick hard, allowing Steve to feel it since Natasha's stomach was pressed against his. Steve laughed and Natasha pouted.

"Your kid is mean."

"You mean our kid."

"No, she's yours when she's being mean."

"she?"

"I don't know, I feel like it's a girl."

"Is that what you want?"

"I don't know. I don't think I even care what it is as long as she's healthy and happy and perfect just like her daddy."

"Perfect just like her mom you mean?"

Natasha laughed.

"What can I say, we're just a good looking couple."

Steve looked at her oddly, Natasha was not usually so relaxed.

"Don't look at me like that. The hormones are making me wacky, just enjoy it."

Steve smiled tenderly as he kissed Natasha once again and took her hand to lead her further into the park. They stopped at a café for a small lunch before walking home. Natasha was slowing down significantly a few blocks away from home.

"Are you alright Nat?"

"My feet are swelling too big for my shoes."

Steve scooped her up in his arms and continued to walk at his regular pace.

"Let get home and get you a foot rub."

Natasha practically moaned at the idea of a foot rub which caused Steve to chuckle.

"You truly are the perfect man."


	37. Chapter 37

Clint walked back into the living room rubbing his cheek which had a very visible hand print on it. Tony and Bruce looked up and chuckled.

"What did you do now?"

"I didn't do anything! I simply told her that maybe she should change into something more appropriate and she smacked me!"

"Steve is gonna pissed when he gets back."

Clint huffed as he threw himself on the couch with a scowl. Steve walked in with Natasha's lunch in hand. He shrugged out of his jacket and took one look at Clint before spinning and walking straight to his room.

"You know pregnancy is just making Nat more and more terrifying."

The guys were a lot more relaxed now that Natasha was almost 5 months pregnant. Natasha's constant mood changes and emotions were driving them all insane. Steve walked back out and joined them on the couch.

"Steve, I get you love Natasha. I do too, but maybe we can just lock her in her room for the rest of the pregnancy."

Steve glared at him but didn't say anything like he normally would. Natasha waddled out a few minutes later with a pout on her face.

"Clint…"

"yeah Nat?"

Her bottom lip quivered and the redness around her eyes showed that he had been crying.

"I'm sorry I slapped you."

She waited for him to smile and extend his arms which didn't take long. It was impossible for any of them to not smile every time they saw her. Her belly was prominently sticking out, it now looked like she had shoved a medium sized beach ball up her shirt.

"I'm sorry I insulted your clothes, you look beautiful in anything."

"I just figured you meant I was too fat to look good in it."

Clint realized that she had changed from the too small tank top into a flowy shirt and leggings. Steve handed Natasha her lunch and she began to eat right away. Maria Hill stepped out of the elevator and into the room with a look of purpose on her face. Natasha and Clint cringed, they liked Maria but they were still not used to not having Phil be the one to fill them in. It took Natasha a minute before she realized that Maria being here meant that the Avengers were going away.

"We need the Avengers in Latvia, you will all be taking down a small organization that seems to be shaping itself after hydra. I'll leave the files with each of you. You will be leaving tonight at 1700."

Natasha looked helpless as the men she loved instantly prepared for battle while she had to stay behind. Fury had made it very clear that Natasha would be placed on mandatory leave for the remainder of her pregnancy as well 3 months after. Maria nodded as everyone received their files and she walked out.

"Alright team, get packed, we leave in 3 hours."

Natasha sat on the couch, her lunch forgotten on her lap as she watched everyone hurry to get their things together. Steve and Clint were the first ones done, they came back out to the living room in no time.

"Nat, are you alright."

"I'm fine but I swear to god if any of you come back injured I will wait till you get better and then make you wish you hadn't come back."

"Don't worry. Its not good, we'll be back before you know it."

The worry did not leave Natashas eyes but she managed to give him a tight smile as he pulled her into his arms. As the guys began joining them in the living room Natasha gave each of them a stern talking too. They had all been threatened by the time they had to leave.

"I called Pepper little red, she's gonna be staying here for a little while. She'll be here later tonight so don't be startled."

Natasha nodded at Tony and hugged him one more time before allowing him to climb onto the waiting jet. Thor was meeting the Avengers in their designated area. Natashas lip quivered as the jet lifted off.

"damn hormones."

She went back inside and made her way into each of the Avengers' room. She took a shirt from Thor's room, a blanket from Bruce's room, one of Tony's pillows, sweatpants from Steve and a sweatshirt from Clint. She got dressed and set up camp in the living room, bringing a few other blankets with her to create a nest. Clint would tease her if he saw that his sweatshirt was slightly tight around her stomach. She tried to go to sleep but couldn't manage knowing that the men she loved we're away, putting their lives in danger.

"Jarvis, pull up the file of the mission."

"Those files are restricted Mrs. Rogers."

Natasha smirked and began to hack into SHIELD, it took her less time that in usually did.

"I guess Stark is rubbing off on me."

She read the file over and over again, each time she became more aware of how dangerous the mission really was. She had to reassure herself that they would all be fine and she wouldn't have to worry. She heard the elevator moving and figured Pepper would arrive soon so she got up and made tea for the both of them. By the time Pepper walked in, Natasha was already in the kitchen boiling some water.

"Hey Natasha, how are you?"

"I'm good Pep, why don't you put your stuff down? I'm making some tea."

Pepper smiled and walked towards Tony's room to put her things away. Natasha took a moment to take a deep breath and try to compose herself.

"So do you by any chance happen to know exactly what Tony and the guys are up to?"

"Their mission if to infiltrate and demolish a hydra-like organization in Latvia that has been terrorizing SHIELD. They just have to get in, take some of the heads out. Get as much intel as they can and then destroy it. Shouldn't take more than a month."

"A month?"

"Yeah, maybe less. It would be a month when Clint and I took on missions like that but now they have Iron Man, the Hulk, a super soldier and a Norse god, odds are that if everything goes well, they'll be home a little early."

"I thought Thor was in New Mexico."

"He was, he spent the last week there with Doctor Foster, He was assigned to meet the group just outside of Estonia."

"Youre not worried about them are you? Because you know they'll be fine."

"Of course I'm worried, are you gonna tell me youre not worried about Tony?"

Pepper made a face at Natasha and began to get up once the water boiled but Natasha waved her away.

"I got it, who knows how much longer I'll be able to move this easily, this baby is growing like crazy. What kind of tea would you like?"

"Earl grey please, so you'll be six months along when they come back?"

"about, we were going to find out the sex of the baby this week but I'm gonna wait till Steve comes back."

"Whens your appointment, do you want some company?"

"Friday at 3, if you want to come youre more than welcome to."

Pepper smiled and nodded as she accepted her tea and walked over to the living room where she took a seat on the largest couch and was joined by Natasha. They put each other at ease a little but it was clear that they were both worried about the men they loved.

"How about we go out tomorrow to get our minds off this mission? We can go out for breakfast and yoga and then maybe do some shopping."

Natasha smiled at Pepper.

"That sounds like a great idea."

"Kids will probably be running around in costumes, it'll be cute."

"Wow, I totally forgot about Halloween, its Clints second favorite day of the year."

"whats his first?"

"Thanksgiving, he's a pig."

Pepper laughed and Natasha joined her. They picked a movie and settled comfortably into the couch, falling asleep in no time.

* * *

"Do they know youre watching Tony?"

"No, im surprised little Red hasnt found out. She's usually so on top of everything."

"Maybe she trusts you?"

Tony gave Bruce a skeptical look before diverting his attention back to his phone screen where he had Jarvis displaying the security footage from the tower. Tony was resting on the couch in their safe house while the other avengers worked on the mission.

"Don't judge me for doing this, I'm keeping an eye on little red and tony jr and making sure Pepper says nice things. Don't pretend that you didn't all enjoy Natasha collecting little pieces of us to get comfortable. I'll have to remember to get that pillow back, it was specially made."

Steve rolled his eyes as he studied the files that they had received but he was still grateful to Tony for being so interested in Natasha's well being. It put him at ease to know that she was safe.

"Uh guys."

"Yeah Legolas?"

"this may be a little harder than we thought?"

"The infiltration or the attack?"

"Both, mainly the attack."

"Why is that?"

"They have something we don't…we're nowhere near capturing this kind of weaponry, its like nothing we've ever seen before."

Tony and Bruce walked over to the archer and both of their faces lost color.

"well shit…this doesn't look fun at all."

"Guys this could be deadly."

Clint looked at Bruce and Tony and then at Steve.

"well all our missions are deadly, we just have to be extra careful. Natasha would kill us all if we died."

Tony snorted but he continued to re-read the file and try to think of a way in which they could have the upper hand.


	38. Chapter 38

Clint spoke clear german as he made his way around the camp he had infiltrated, he had been getting the information they needed and slowly damaging the weapons they had. Bruce and Tony had been cracking into the secrets of the hydra camp. Thor and Steve we're slowly attacking the surrounding soldiers to make their final attack as manageable as possible. They had already been gone for nearly a month and everyone was getting antsy.

"We have to attack soon."

Clints voice left no room for discussion. The men were quick to look his way and nod. Right away plans began to be made.

"There can be no room for error. This is going to be a big attack. If we don't get every single soldier, we may not make it out alive."

They all nodded at Steve and gathered around him to map out their plan of attack.

* * *

Natasha rolled out of bed at a very early hour. Pepper had left last week for Tokyo, leaving Natasha alone. It had began snowing late last night and when Natasha glanced out the window she saw the snow was still going and there was at least a foot and a half of snow on the ground. Natasha stretched out, her stomach had grown significantly to the point where Natasha could no longer see her toes. Steve's army shirt was very tight around her stomach. She had to work to get herself upright and wobble to the bathroom. She showered quickly and made food, walking around the house in Steve's shirt. It used to be the only thing that comfortably fit but she had to find a new staple piece. She walked into Thor's room, making her way around the mess on his floor and towards his closet, pulling out one of his midgardian shirts and slipping it over her head. It fit a lot looser around her, she pulled Steve's sweatpants on and grabbed a blanket off the couch. The weather made it impossible for her to go out but she was determined to make it out sometime today no matter what. The last few weeks had been hectic, Pepper kept her busy at all time. They were either shopping or getting food or working out to the point where Natasha would come home and fall asleep without even getting out of that days clothing. Peppers plan had been to keep Natasha occupied enough to not have time to worry about the guys but what Pepper didn't notice was that Natasha was always worried. She ate her breakfast and waited a while before changing into her own maternity clothes and snow boots. Her hair had grown very long and curly and she had the desired pregnancy glow but that was overshadowed by a worried look in her eye.

"Jarvis, call Happy."

"Hello?"

"Hi Happy, could you swing by the tower and pick me up?"

"Of course miss Rushman."

Natasha chuckled and thanked him. He still hadn't gotten used to calling her Natasha Romanoff or Rogers.

She wrapped herself up in a jacket and entered the elevator, making her way to the garage to wait for Happy. He hadn't seen her since the wedding so the look on his face when he arrived and saw her pregnant stomach. He rushed out of the car to open the back door and let her in.

"Where to?"

"Brooklyn cementary. S.H.I.E.L.D section."

Happy tore his eyes away from Natasha's stomach and nodded, falling into a comfortable silence. The snow continued to fall meaning that there were barely any other cars on the road so they made it in no time.

"Should I wait here?"

"It could be a while, I'll just catch the subway on the way back."

Natasha made her way out of the car and into the cementary. Happy simply parked and waited for Natasha, ignoring her request. The fiery red head maneuvered her way around the cementery before finding what she was looking for.

Phillip J. Coulson

"Hey Coulson, haven't seen you in a while. I bet if you saw me you would have a heart attack. I know this is the first time I've visited you since we put you here but I couldn't even bear the thought of not having you here. I guess I'll just fill you in on what has happened. Contrary to your prediction, Clint and I are not together, however I am married. You probably know this since youre watching over us but I figured I'll just tell you. I married Steve, I know you probably wanted him for yourself but I couldn't help myself-"

Natasha chuckled, recalling how often she and Clint would tease on of having a crush on Captain America because of how much he idolized him. Of course they both knew he wasn't actually gay but they were certain he would entertain the idea when it came to Steve.

"We got married almost four months ago. Barton was my maid of honor and Thor was Steve's best man. Thor had seen several movies with 'midgardian' weddings in them so he insisted that the best man and maid of honor walk down the isle with their arms linked. It was a beautiful moment. It was a pretty incredible day. I think it put some ideas in Peppers head and she's dropping hints at Tony. "

Pepper hadn't exactly been subtle, leaving bridal magazines around and engagement ring pictures.

"I'm pregnant by the way, bet you never imagined that. I'm six months along, and to be honest I'm starting to look like a whale. I have officially reached the point where I can no longer see my feet. I walked out of the tower last week wearing two different shoes. We had been pregnant before but we lost the baby, it was a rough time. But this baby seems to be sticking around. It's a miracle, the black widow isn't supposed to get pregnant and here I am. Anyways I'm here because the guys are all on a mission and I needed someone to talk to. I know that youre not really here Phil, but I know youre listening. I'm scared Phil, if this baby doesn't make it…I don't think I could handle that. If the guys don't make it home safe, If we cant protect the baby. So many things could go wrong, I'm not made to be mother material. I'm a killer and I'm scared."

It was the first time she had admitted that she was scared and it was like a big weight being lifted off her shoulders.

"I really wish you were here. I miss you Coulson, this kid would have loved you. But don't worry we'll let them know that uncle Phil was the greatest person."

Natasha rested a hand on Coulsons grave before getting off the ground. The ground was continuing to accumulate snow and she misplaced a foot, she immediately shot out a hand to step herself from falling, quickly grabbing on to Phils gravestone and stopping her fall.

"Even when youre not here, youre keeping me safe Phil."

She cradled her wrist as she limped to the outside of the cementery, immediately noticing Happy outside.

"I thought I told you to leave Happy."

"I'm not just gonna leave you behind Miss Rushman. Will you be heading back to the tower?"

"Can we stop by S.H.I.E.L.D first, I need to go to medical."

Happy looked alarmed and was quick to start driving away.

* * *

Clint had gotten enough intel to know that everyone they needed would be present at the opposing forces main quarters today. Today was when they would attack. Steve was in uniform, he shield held tightly. Thor was wearing his Asgardian armor and had his hammer in hand, Tony was lounging on the couch in his iron man suit and Clint was checking all his arrows, Bruce would remain at a nearby base and would only be called on if it was absolutely necessary.

"Are you guys ready? Do we need to go over the plan again?"

"No Stevie, we do not need to go over the plan for the billionth time."

Steve glared at Tony and headed out the door. They were dropped off right outside the warehouse that was acting as a headquarter. The place looked abandoned but they knew better. However Steve's enhanced hearing picked up on sounds of struggle somewhere inside the building. He alerted the rest of the avengers and led them inside. The entrance was a dead zone, bodies littered everywhere. They rushed in, following the trail of bodies to find the winter soldier taking down a group of soldiers.

"about time you showed up buddy, I was beginning to think I was in this all by myself. Theres men in the lower floor, I've been careful. The weapons are down there too, watch yourself."

They all looked dumbfounded for a fraction of a second before Clint spoke.

"alright guys, remember that the head men are going to be in the lowest floor, we need to keep them alive."

They all nodded and made their way downstairs. The men were not many but the weapons were strong and right away Steve had to put his S.H.I.E.L.D up to take care of the shot.

"Hulk, we're gonna need you to come in."

In less than a minute the green giant was standing in front of the group, protecting them from the hits. They took out one by one until Steve and Thor were able to get past the soldiers and make their way to the lowest level taking out some of the opposing men on the way. The winter soldier joined them soon and the three of them broke into the room to find weapons pointed their way. Steve put up his shield, holding it up even though the force of the weapons was trying to push him back, he could feel his shoulder being dislocated. Thor took care of the weapons and the winder soldier knocked the men unconscious. Thor spoke into his comm.

"Has the battle been won?"

"Nearly Thor-o…just…a few…more."

Thor went back upstairs to help while Steve called in S.H.I.E.L.D for extraction and joined the group upstairs to finish up the fight which was pretty much done when he got there.

"Is everyone alright?"

Clint wiped at the blood rushing down his arm and face and nodded, Bruce was putting on pants and Tony was confirming his health. Thor was bruised but nothing serious.

"are you alright James?"

"Course, I wouldn't risk my good looks by getting injured."

Steve rolled his eyes and smiled.

"we're going home guys. You coming with us James?"

"I've been thinking of taking a trip to the states. Havent been in quite a while, plus theres a skinny little red head that I miss."

Clint snorted and walked away but didn't tell him about Natasha. A jet landed not long after and took the men that were captured. The avengers entered the next jet that arrived, followed by Bucky and made their way back home. The men were debriefed as they received medical attention.

"alright team. We'll be going straight to Stark tower, arriving in about 6 hours."

* * *

"Mrs. Rogers, the baby is fine and everything seems alright. You broke your wrist but it is a clean break which should take less time to heal, you also tore a muscle in your right calf. I'll put you in a boot for a month and you'll be on crutches for a while but you'll be off them quickly due to the super soldier serum. Take it easy and try to be careful."

Natasha nodded and was rolled out of the building in a wheelchair, directly into Happy's car.

"Now we go back to the tower, thank you Happy."

"Are you alright Natalie?"

"Its Natasha, and yes I'm fine. We should get back, the roads are becoming unmanegable. I don't want to get stranded."

By the time Natasha made it to the living room the sun was going down, it was nearly 6. She stripped herself of her jacket, leaving her in a long sleeve shirt and stretchy pants, she retrieved some food and rested her leg on the couch. The boot was clunky and the cast on her wrist felt heavy, she drifted off to sleep in no time. However she was awakened in the following hour by the sound of the elevator dinging. She was groggy, the pain medications she had been given had taken effect and everything was blurry for a moment, she took sight of 6 blurry figures.

"Tash? Jarvis can you turn up the lights just a little?"

"Of Course Mr. Rogers."

James looked around, his eyes landed on Natasha on the couch. She looked out of it, clearly just waking up. Her red hair was in curls and long, her face was perfect as ever. The back of the couch was covering her as well as a mountain of blankets.

"Steve? Youre home!...James!"

She came out from under the covers allowing them to all get a good look at her. James was stunned into silence, not by the injuries but by the stomach. Everyone else zeroed in on her injuries only taking seconds to register how large Natashas stomach had gotten.

"Natasha, what happened?"

They all rushed forward but Bucky was frozen in his place.

"I was out today, the weather is pretty nasty and I ended up falling, tore the muscle in my calf and broke my wrist. Everything else is fine, we both are."

Steve took her in his arms, kissing her and then leaning down to kiss her stomach. The avengers all followed his lead.

"Geez Nat, youre lady lumps have never looked this incredible."

Steve smacked Clint over the head.

"James get over here, I've been on my feet all day."

James cautiously came over and hugged Natasha.

"youre pregnant."

"6 months pregnant, big as a whale."

He was shocked into silence once again so Natasha pushed him down onto the couch with her. She was being so casual with him, with all of them. He had never seen Natasha so calm and comfortable.

"Are you all alright?"

"I think out of all of us, youre the most injured. Legolas has a concussion and had to get a few stitches which is why he looks extra ugly. Cap has a dislocated shoulder but its healing annoyingly fast and theres bumps and bruises and cuts on all of us but no serious injuries."

Natasha processed everything that Tony said and directed her attention at Bucky.

"Not that I don't love that youre here, but why are you here?"

"He was already kicking ass by the time we arrived to attack. Capsicle dragged him home with us."

Bucky was still staring at Natasha, confusion evident on his face. Natasha looked over the men, taking in all their injuries and their tired faces.

"Well, how about you guys go shower and get comfortable and I'll cook."

"Nat, youre injured."

"So are you Clint, now go get showered and changed before I have to make you move. Don't argue with me…and don't look at me with those puppy dog eyes, I'm more than willing to rip them out of their sockets."

Clint huffed and slowly got up, making sure he didn't move too quick. They all followed suit, Steve dragging Bucky with him. They were all worried about Natasha being hurt, they were also terrified of he following through with her promises of killing them if they didn't do what she said. Natasha pushed herself up and towards the kitchen deciding that Russian food would be comforting to them all since they were used to her cooking. It didn't take long for her to have a hot meal waiting on the dinner table.

"It smells Russian, me gusta."

"I'm glad Stark, how are you feeling."

He pulled out a chair for Natasha and helped ease her into it with surprising gentleness.

"Just a little battered, nothing some good scotch and a little sleep cant cure."

"Wow. Tony Stark is actually going to sleep? Incredible."

He glared at her as he took the seat next to her.

"How is it that you didn't even go on the mission and youre the most injured. What were you doing?"

"I was visiting Coulson, it was pretty icy and I slipped. Happy drove me to S.H.I.E.L.D to get checked up and this was the verdict. The baby is fine though. I figured since Bruce is back he can do the sonogram so we don't have to leave the tower."

"If it's a boy we can call him Anthony."

"No."

"If it's a girl we can call her Antonia."

"I will kill you."

"I've been gone for a month and I come back to death threats, where is the love little red."

Natasha blew him a kiss and sipped her tea. Bruce and Clint walked out to join them at the dinner table followed by Thor and Steve, Bucky joined them a few minutes later.

"Well dig in guys, I'm really glad youre all home."

They all smiled at Natasha before devouring everything on the table.

"So Bruce, I was thinking maybe you could do a sonogram and we could find out the sex of the baby?"

Bruce smiled an nodded.

"We can go down to the lab as soon as you finish eating. Who will be joining us?"

"I would say just Steve but you know we don't have the manpower to keep these guys out. Would you like to join us James?"

Bucky looked up in surprise and nodded. Steve smiled brightly and was almost bouncing in his seat, despite being absolutely exhausted. Natasha finished her meal and looked around to see that everyone else was done before getting up.

"Her Thor, how are you feeling."

"Jovial, I am looking forward to finding out what the baby will be."

"We all are. You don't seem to be injured."

"I am quite fine lady Natasha."

"That's great, mind giving me a lift downstairs?"

Thor smiled and nodded, gently picking up Natasha and carrying her as if she weighed nothing. Steve was pouting behind them.

"Don't pout Steve, I know you are more than capable of carrying me but you need to let your shoulder heal."

Steve nodded and continued walking as the team squeezed into the elevator and rode down to the lab where Thor set Natasha down on the bed. Tony and Bruce had set up a mini hospital room so Bruce could be in charge of anything the team needed. Natasha instantly pulled her shirt up, everyone realized just how much she had grown since they left.

"Little eager aren't we Tash?"

"Shut up Barton, you know youre about to piss your pants with excitement."

He winked at Natasha and stood at the foot of her bed as Bruce rolled the sonogram machine over.

"What are you hoping for Capsicle?"

"A healthy beautiful baby, that's all I want."

Tony was silent for a moment.

"What if its ugly?"

It didn't take long for several different fists to hit him. Natasha smiled at the men around her and smirked at Tony. James had taken a stand near the door, disconnected from those around him.

"Well the heartbeat is strong and everything looks good, are you ready to find out what you're having?"

Steve grabbed Natasha's good hand and they both nodded.

"Well congratulations guys, youre having a little girl. I can tell you now that her uncles are going to spoil her rotten."

Steve's smile looked almost too big for his face as a tear slipped from Natasha's face. No one noticed James slipping out of the room.

"So…Antonia right?"


	39. Chapter 39

Clint heard soft noises coming from the kitchen. On instinct he grabbed his bow and got ouch of bed, flinching when his bare feet hit the cold hardwood floors. He silently walked down the hall and into the entrance of the kitchen, an arrow pointed at the source of the noise.

"Jeez, youre gonna poke my eye out Clinton."

Natasha was standing in the kitchen in one of Thor's shirts, a fruit bowl in her hand.

"What are you doing up Tash, and why are you being so loud. Youre usually the only person that can sneak up on me."

"I was hungry and I had to pee and it was too hot in my room. Actually its still really hot, even in here. As for the noise…"

She nodded at the boot on her leg.

"Banner said that if you actually stopped putting pressure on it you could be off it in a week. The doctor underestimated the super soldier serum, its only taken two weeks to heal almost completely. Hows your shoulder doing?"

She put a thumb up but began to pout and then emptied the contents of her stomach into the sink. Clint rushed forward to hold her hair and rub her back.

"Jesus Tash, youre burning up."

She rinsed out her mouth and allowed Clint to help her over towards the couch.

"I'll go get Steve."

"No, let him rest. He's been on edge since James got here. He hasn't exactly been trying to get along with all of us. Steve needs to rest, I'll be fine."

Clint glared at her.

"just get me some water."

His glare intensified as the sweat on Natasha's forehead started to become more evident and she pulled her shirt over her head leaving her in a sports bra and underwear.

"You know at one point, I would have jumped at the opportunity of having sex with you. Seeing you get naked isn't as much of a turn on anymore."

"water. Now Barton. Jarvis is Doctor Banner awake?"

"No Mrs. Rogers, at the moment only you, agent Barton and Mr. Stark are awake."

"where is Tony?"

"In his lab."

"Clint? Tony knows the basic of medicine, would it put you at ease if he checked me out?"

Clint walked back into the room with several water bottles and a pile of blankets .

"I guess. Jarvis can you tell Tony to get his ass up here before Natasha kills him."

"As you wish agent Barton."

Clint dimmed the lights slightly and made Natasha lay down. Tony was up in the main floor within the minute.

"What did I do to have my life threatened this time? And why are you up at 2:45 in the morning?"

Tony took one look at Natasha's sweaty pale face before rushing over to her.

"I need you to tell Clint that I'm fine."

Tony rolled his eyes and ignored Natasha's request.

"Jarvis do a full body scan of little red and Give me the results."

"Of course mister Stark. Body temperature of 102, from my observations of Mrs. Rogers for the past few hours she has been suffering from a cough, fatigue, body aches, headaches, sore throat and as of recently some vomiting. All signs point to the flu."

"Alright you guys heard it. The little spider had the flu which means shes gonna be even more of a pain than she already is."

Natasha and Clint could see the tenderness on Tony's face as he gently pulled the covers over Natasha but not before getting on the couch and allowing Natasha to lay down on his chest. The heat of her back was radiating onto his chest.

"Why didn't you guys get Bruce and why isn't Steve here?"

"Nat didn't wanna wake either of them up."

Tony scoffed and called her stupid but he continued to hold her as he accepted the damp rag that Clint had tossed at him and he began to dap at Natasha's skin. The coolness of the rag brought her comfort and allowed her to relax a little. Clint laid down by Natasha's feet under the covers and turned on the t.v. They silently watched a movie but they were all sleeping in no time. Tony and Clint would wake up every hour to make sure that Natasha was fine. Her fever stayed the same but fortunately she slept through the night. The sun was coming up a little after 7, that's when Bruce and Steve walked into the living room.

"Where's Nat? She wasn't in bed this morning."

No one answered Steve's questions but he saw Natasha sleeping against Tonys chest. He took in the sweaty forehead and the rosy cheeks and he was by her side in an instant, placing his hand against her forehead. It practically burned him. Steve's presence jostled Tony awake.

"pipe down Steve-o. Im sleepy."

"Whats going on with Nat? Is she okay? Is the baby okay?"

"Babys fine, I'm guessing it's the flu. Bruce can examine her later, just let her sleep for now. I would tell you to take my place but I'm fairly certain that would wake her up."

Steve nodded and took a seat with his back resting against the couch. Bruce started breakfast, the smell of Bacon causing Thor to join them in the living area.

"What is wrong with lady Natasha?"

"She's sick. We have to be quiet so she can sleep."

Thor nodded and tried to be as silent as possible as he munched on the bacon. It was past 10 when Natasha started to wake. Her cough was violent as she tried to peel herself off Tony.

"I feel gross. I need to take a shower."

She looked at Steve, taking in the soft look in his eyes.

"Why didn't you wake me up Nat?"

"You need sleep."

Steve shook his head and got up to help Natasha shower. He helped her get up, that was the first time Bruce, Steve and Thor noticed how naked Natasha was. Steve picked her up and carried her to their bathroom.

"I'll run a bath, just give me a moment."

Natasha nodded and grabbed two towels from the cabinets.

"Youll be joining me in the bath right Steve?"

"Sure baby."

Steve stripped his shirt off before helping Natasha take her boot off. They eased into the bath and Natasha instantly rested against Steve's chest, falling asleep almost instantly. They stayed there for some time with Steve tracing patterns on Natashas stomach.

"How are you feeling Nat."

"A little better, I'm feeling pretty relaxed."

"That's the point. We should get out soon though, I know you hate looking like a prune."

Natasha nodded but made no move to get out. Steve had to get out first and dry off before helping Natasha up and out of the tub.

"I cant wait till I'm not a whale."

"You look beautiful. Now lets get you dried up and dressed so Bruce can check you over."

Steve got dressed while Natasha dried herself and dried her hair. She coughed violently while Steve rubbed her back. He helped her get into some leggings and one of his hoodies. She limped into the living room and allowed Bruce to check her over.

"Looks like the flu. Your pregnancy seems to have weakened your immune system and made you more capable of getting sick. Its best if you get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids and I'll put a humidifier in your room. Now let me take a look at your foot and wrist and you can get some sleep."

Natasha obediently sat as Bruce checked her over and allowed her to take off her boot.

"as long as you promise to stay off your ankle it should be fine. Your wrist has healed beautifully. I'll get you some soup and you can go to sleep."

Natasha nodded and looked up as Clint walked into the room in his uniform.

"Youre going away? Where?"

"Budapest, itll be a little different."

Natasha chuckled and made him bend down so she could kiss his cheek as he squeezed her hand.

"Don't get in trouble, I wont be there to save your ass."

Clint smiled and grabbed his bag.

"Take care honey."

Clint placed a gentle kiss on Natashas stomach and walked out the door. Bruce walked back into the room with Natasha soup and a blanket.

"I'm hoping that the super soldier serum will speed up your healing so that youre constantly strong during your pregnancy. Don't want to risk anything."

Steve walked out into the living room in sweatpants, straight towards Natasha. She had barely finished her bowl of soup and was already nodding off to sleep. She stirred when Steve took a seat next to her, pulling her into his arms. Her voice was thick with sleep when she slept.

"Steve… Where is James?"

"I think he's still in his room. Do you want me to go get him?"

Natasha shook her head no and snuggled into Steve. Natasha coughed a little before falling into a deep sleep. The snow continued to come down heavily outside. The only sounds heard in the tower were Thor's fists hitting the punching bag and Tony's machine in his lab. Steve felt the baby kick after he placed his hand on Natasha's stomach. She only woke up to eat and go to the bathroom. Steve carried her into their bedroom when it started getting dark out. He then went to join Bruce in the living room.

"Is there any way that this could harm the baby."

"No, she's fine Steve. I have Jarvis keeping a close eye on her and the baby. Theres no reason why this should have either of them. As a matter of fact, Jarvis could you please give me an Update on Natasha's condition?"

"Of course doctor Banner. Mrs. Rogers is healing at a rapid rate. The baby is in good health and I expect Mrs. Roger to be back to normal by morning."

"Thanks Bruce, thanks Jarvis. I'm gonna go ask Bucky if he wants to join us for breakfast tomorrow."

Bruce nodded and Steve hoisted himself out of his chair and walked down the stairs to the guest quarters. It was eerily quiet when he reached the guest floor and walked inside the quarters.

"Bucky! James where are you?"

Silence

"Jarvis where is James?"

"Mister Barnes left late last night. He left a note on the bedside table for your wife."

Steve looked dumfounded and he walked over and picked up the note, slowly walking back upstairs straight to his bedroom. Natasha was awake and waiting for Steve, it was like she knew what was going on. He sat down at her feet and handed her the note.

"_Dearest Natalia,_

_I can see that you have a family now, and you are happy. I missed my chance with you and I will never forgive myself. I will love you always. Be good for Steve, he is a good man. Possibly the best man. Good look with your life, you will always have my protection and my love._

_~James_"

"I'm sorry Steve."

"As am I love. "

Steve pulled himself into bed and cuddled up next to Natasha placing his hand on her stomach. He had long ago accepted the fact that he had lost his best friend, his brother. When Bucky had walked crashed back into his life Steve had felt as if he had his family back. But holding Natasha in his arms and knowing that his child was with them Steve knew his family was already with him. He had gained a new family when he joined the avengers, and he knew that James could have been a great addition to that family but the winter soldier couldn't be. Natasha stirred a little and brought Steve out of his thoughts. She gripped on to Steve tightly.

"Sleep beautiful, I'll be here when you wake."

* * *

Well guys tomorrow is my last day of high school and I graduate on the 26th so hopefully the story will move along a little faster now.


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